Tom Dundon continues to put his imprint on the Trail Blazers.
On Tuesday, the organization laid off multiple staff members on its business side. Willamette Week reported the figure to be at least 40 people, or 20% of the team’s workforce on the business side. Longtime Blazers reporter Sean Highkin said the number was “around 70.”
“Today, as part of our plans to position the organization for the future, we made the difficult decision to restructure several areas of the business,” president of business operations Dewayne Hankins said in a statement. “…Our focus now is supporting those affected through the transition and positioning the organization for long-term success.”
Among the layoffs were digital reporter Casey Holdahl, who was with the team for nearly 20 years.
“I have indeed been let go after 18+ years with the @trailblazers,” Holdahl posted on X. “My sincerest thanks to all of you who have read/listened/watched/engaged with my work over the years.”
Dundon took ownership of the team in March after the first part of a multi-tiered sale from longtime owner Jody Allen. Allen assumed ownership after her brother Paul died in 2018 with his estate being tasked with selling both the Trail Blazers and the NFL’s Seahawks. Dundon bought the team at a $4.25 billion valuation.
He made his presence known immediately, installing changes such as two-way players not traveling for the playoffs, having team staffers check out of the hotel early, and reportedly seeking to hire a new head coach at a $1.5 million annual salary.
Dundon recently went on Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul and addressed both the hotel and two-way decisions. Dundon said the hotel “really wanted us out because we needed the rooms.”
“They wanted us to pay for a second night, so we did that for the coaches and the players, but we got them to let us leave at 1 o’clock,” Dundon said. “I had a room at the hotel—I was there, and I was like, ‘Well, lunch starts at 1:45, we have a huge ballroom with this really nice lunch for everybody.’ So I said, ‘Look, we’ll do the players and the coaches, we’ll pay the extra night. For the staff, we have this huge ballroom, we’ll go down there and work.’”
Dundon continued, “I would do it again. I think it’s actually pretty stupid to think people who are there to work, and are being fed 45 minutes later—they weren’t in the lobby … If that’s too hard for people, I’m not right for them. I want that culture.”
With the two-way players, Dundon expressed regret with how he handled the situation and admitted it was a rookie mistake. His account differed from general manager Joe Cronin, took the blame for it on May 1 and called it a “miscommunication on my end.”
“I just made a mistake,” Dundon said. “I just don’t understand the league. In hockey, we don’t travel [with] extra people because it’s … we’re not on vacation. We’re here to win, so we don’t want the distraction. The NBA seems to live with those distractions. It’s not how I think about it. So, you sort of got to learn, you know, what’s the differences between the two leagues.”
