How Tom Dundon Could Poison The Well Of The Portland Trail Blazers

BusinessSportsMoneyHow Tom Dundon Could Poison The Well Of The Portland Trail BlazersByMaury Brown,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Maury Brown is a national MLB, motorsports, and media reporterFollow AuthorMay 19, 2026, 11:15pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Tom Dundon has owned the Portland Trail Blazers for less than a month, and has already upended the organization. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)Getty ImagesTom Dundon has owned the Portland Trail Blazers for less than 30 days. Without clearly showing why penny pinching moves will translate into luring the best talent to a small market, he risks alienating not just fans, but free agents on the court and off.Dundon and his group of investors purchased the Blazers for a reported $4.25 billion. Accumulating his wealth through subprime car loans and accused of predatory lending, Dundon is a break from two prior cornerstone ownership groups of the Blazers in Harry Glickman and Paul Allen. Where both wanted their touches on the club, neither decided that going bargain-basement shopping was the best route to do business.Dundon has been framed as “cheap” due to cost-cutting measures. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said that Dundon “knows what he’s doing.”“People are starting to say he’s not willing to spend the money,” Silver said. “You gotta remember, this is a guy who just won a bidding war, call it $4.5 billion to buy a team, and they’re calling him cheap. It just can’t be.”Frugal or unconventional might be the kindest way to describe Dundon. There were several events during the postseason that were not entirely Dundon’s fault that played into his “cheap” narrative, not all of which were entirely his fault. There was limited travel for support staff; the team and staff was notified the night before arriving in Phoenix that they had to check out of hotel early forcing t...