Blazers Defend Arena Pitch in Testy City Council Meeting

Trail Blazers leadership went before Portland’s city council on Thursday after weeks of public sparring over the team’s lease and proposed $600 million renovation to the Moda Center. 

Despite mixed messaging from Blazers brass, the team reiterated its desire to reach an agreement and stay in the city over the looming threat new owner Tom Dundon could potentially relocate it. 

“We want to get a deal done,” Blazers president Dewayne Hankins told the council. 

The team secured $365 million in funding in March, but the bonds are contingent on the city ($120 million) and county ($88 million) approving those contributions via vote.

Hankins attended the session with Blazers CFO Joe Loomis, team lawyer Landus Anderson, team spokesperson Charles Boyle, and chief legal counsel Zandria Conyers. They were joined by Mike Wilkerson, an economic consultant for ECOnorthwest, who provided projections of the team’s impact on the local economy.

Throughout the meeting, the Trail Blazers contingent projected mixed signals to the council. Conyers and Hankins said negotiations between the team and the city never stopped, but they “appreciate the invitation” to meet with Mayor Keith Wilson, who is the primary contact for talks with the city. 

Hankins gave an opening statement saying Dundon’s ownership group wants to keep the team in Portland and reach a resolution with the city.

“They do believe Portland has the best fans in the world,” Hankins said. “They believe we can build a team that Rip City can be proud of. And they believe that Portland is the best and most obvious choice for this team.”

But Hankins and his team were only so responsive to the council’s numerous questions despite saying the Moda Center is in “first-class” condition. The arena opened in 1995 and is the oldest in the NBA to not undergo renovations. 

“The first-class standard has been wielded as a weapon chilling our negotiations,” Hankins said. “To be clear, the first-class standard is a relic language from a 30-year-old lease.”

Hankins was referring to a provision in the current lease that makes the team responsible for the arena’s maintenance. It means the city can sue the team for the cost of a renovation if it opted to relocate. 

The threat of a potential lawsuit hung over the meeting. Conyers said the team’s brass would only elaborate so much for fear of a lawsuit and to avoid publicly negotiating with the council. When Wilson said the city has no interest in suing the team, Conyers held firm, saying the possibility of it would still exist. 

“Providing details that can be used to sue us later,” Hankins said. 

When asked why the team isn’t interested in paying for any aspect of the proposed renovations, Hankins said the team has historically done its part, which is why it’s the city’s turn. 

“The team has already invested nearly $1 billion in the construction and maintenance of the building in its 30 years,” Hankins replied. 

When pressed further on possible investment, Hankins said it sounds like public negotiations, which his team is avoiding. 

Conyers said the city has departed from 20 different aspects of the original term sheet that the team was presented with years ago. When councilor Loretta Smith asked whether the team could provide the council with those items, Conyers was initially noncommittal before saying the team could do so at the appropriate time. 

When Conyers said the team was looking for “competitive tax rates and competitive business conditions” as part of its deal, Smith reminded Conyers that the council cannot affect the state’s tax laws. 

“When we talk about a market rate deal, there are multiple components to that,” Conyers said. 

The council plans to begin discussing the term sheet next week. They are scheduled to vote on the $120 million on Aug. 12, while the Multnomah County commissioners will vote on the $88 million on Aug. 12. Mayor Wilson has the ability to break a tie should the council’s vote be deadlocked at 6–6.