It feels like deja vu in the Pacific Northwest. The Portland Trail Blazers, who brought in Damian Lillard for a championship dream, stand in a spotlight they didn’t ask for. The city of Portland is juggling sports dreams, chasing entry in one of America’s oldest leagues, but fans are wondering if their franchise would follow the same heartbreaking path once walked by the Seattle SuperSonics. Because when a city tries to chase two rabbits, it often ends up catching none.
In Portland’s case, those rabbits are the NBA’s Trail Blazers and a potential Major League Baseball expansion franchise. And right now, MLB is getting the bigger carrot. Earlier this summer, Oregon lawmakers voted 46-6 to approve SB 110, a bill allocating $800 million in bonds to build a brand-new baseball stadium along Portland’s South Waterfront. But the money won’t come from existing revenue.
It’ll come from future income taxes paid by MLB players and staff if the city lands a team. So the city is all-in on baseball. For Blazers fans, that’s where the tension begins. The Blazers’ new owner, Carolina Hurricanes’ leader Tom Dundon, is stepping into a market with conflicting priorities. As David Samson reported on Nothing Personal with David Samson, “It is sort of big news that the Carolina Hurricanes owner is going to bid about $4 billion as a valuation of the Trailblazers.” So yes, he’s promised Portland loyalty. But it is put to the test when the venue comes into play.
Yes, the team extended its Moda Center lease until 2030, “but after 2030, the Trailblazers really have no place to play.” In the baseball vs basketball debate, the worry is flashing in neon above the Moda Center. Reason? Outdated. Desperate for either a major renovation or a full replacement. Dundon may be saying all the right things today, but Sonics fans in Seattle heard similar promises once upon a time.
Back in 2006, when Clay Bennett bought the SuperSonics, he assured Seattle faithful that relocation wasn’t on the table. Two years later, the team was gone. Ripped from the city and replanted in Oklahoma City. It left scars that still sting in the region, and the Portland Trail Blazers fans now can’t help but see the parallels.
NBA, Basketball Herren, USA New Orleans Pelicans at Portland Trail Blazers Mar 27, 2023 Portland, Oregon, USA Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard 0 watches players warm up prior to the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Moda Center. Portland Moda Center Oregon USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xSoobumxImx 20230327_si_ai1_001
Because the cold truth is that a team’s future is often less about promises and more about infrastructure. The Blazers’ current situation is like patching a leaky roof with duct tape as you might hold for a storm or two, but eventually, the water wins. Portland has to choose: pour billions into a new NBA arena, or bet big on baseball. History suggests it won’t be both.
Portland’s basketball team faces uncertainty because of the MLB
The Moda Center opened in 1995. That makes it one of the older facilities in the NBA. On paper, it still looks fine. In practice, cracks are showing. The roof, the concourses, the fan experience? All lagging behind the league’s newest mega-arenas in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Milwaukee. And it doesn’t help when the NBA has made it clear that modern arenas are no longer optional. They’re the ticket to survival.
Samson, on the topic, didn’t hold back. He said, “Because while we’re here in 2025, you’d say, oh, we got five years. What’s the big deal? These things take years.” The Blazers extended their lease to 2030, buying some time. But that’s a five-year window, not a solution. And with Oregon’s lawmakers funneling $800 million toward MLB dreams, where will the money for a new NBA arena come from? That’s the multi-billion-dollar question. Portland’s proposed MLB stadium site, Zidell Yards, sits on 33 acres of prime South Waterfront real estate. It’s no coincidence.
MLB expansion is becoming a centerpiece conversation for Commissioner Rob Manfred’s final term, ending in 2028. Cities like Nashville, Charlotte, Salt Lake City, and even Montreal are circling in the same race. Portland wants to keep up. But what happens when the spotlight shifts from basketball to baseball? Statistically speaking, though, as per WorldAtlas, baseball stands at 500 million fans in regions like America and Japan, while basketball stands at 800 million fans across America, Oceania, and the Middle East.
Dec 4, 2022; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) shoots the ball over Indiana Pacers in the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
Meanwhile, Dundon’s $4 billion purchase of the Blazers feels like a show of strength, but also a gamble. He’s known for sharp business plays, not sentimental ones. Limited local partners in his group might buy some goodwill, but that won’t fix a failing arena. Dundon’s eventual decision will hinge on dollars and sense, not nostalgia. And for fans?
That uncertainty is suffocating. Because Portland’s identity has been married to the Blazers for over 50 years. An NBA relocation here wouldn’t just be a sports move. It’d be a civic earthquake. As Samson put it, “When you’re buying a team, you want to get local limited partners, just like we did. But when you move the team, you take the local partners with you.” But for those of you new here, let’s pull back for a moment and understand what exactly is MLB, the shiny thing that the Portland lawmakers are chasing?
Can the Blazers survive Portland’s basketball vs. MLB chaos?
Major League Baseball is America’s oldest professional sports league, home to the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, and Cubs. For decades, it’s been the pastime woven into summer evenings, radio broadcasts, and World Series memories. Bringing a team to Portland means prestige, tourism dollars, and, well, national attention. But the price is excessive. Portland may soon have two multi-billion-dollar asks on its hands: a new baseball stadium and a new basketball arena. Who’s footing the bill for both?
That’s where the tension becomes existential. According to Desert.com, “the bill notes the expected cost of building an MLB stadium in Portland is approximately $2 billion, meaning the remainder of the funding for a ballpark will fall on the team.” Portland’s proposed ballpark would need funding beyond the $800 million in bonds. The rest falls under ownership. But can a mid-sized market like Portland truly sustain two massive sports infrastructure projects at once?
Cities with larger economies, like New York or Los Angeles, barely pull it off. Portland may have the passion, but does it have the pockets? For Damian Lillard and the Blazers’ roster, the questions are less about city planning and more about basketball relevance. The team is in transition, shifting from the Dame era toward developing the younger stars.
If Portland goes all-in on baseball, the Blazers risk becoming the city’s second priority, and in sports, second place often means forgotten. Dundon insists the Blazers will stay, while Adam Silver insists relocation isn’t on the table. “However, the Trailblazers aren’t going to relocate. Adam Silver right now has no interest in relocation. He is all about expansion,” Samson said. But ask Seattle how quickly promises can crumble. A franchise that should be building stability around its young core is instead dealing with questions of arena financing, political will, and the looming shadow of baseball.
Jun 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the media before game one between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
That’s hardly an environment for long-term competitiveness. And well, the numbers don’t lie. Last season, the Blazers finished near the bottom of the West, with a 113.7 defensive rating. But this season, the focus should be on developing chemistry and positioning themselves as a playoff threat again. In a league where perception often drives reality, the uncertainty of a franchise’s future can ripple onto the court.
Free agents hesitate, coaches hedge, and even players wonder if their careers will unfold in a city where the team might one day pack up. So now, Portland has a decision to make. The Blazers are a half-century-old pillar of the NBA, with a rich history, passionate fans, and cultural significance far beyond basketball. MLB expansion may sound glamorous, but history warns against betting on two major projects in one mid-market city.
Because the truth about sports franchises? They don’t just belong to billionaires or politicians. They belong to the fans. And Portland fans have a right to ask if their loyalty will be enough to keep the Blazers from becoming the next team history books remember in the past tense? But for now, trust the process, because the new owner says, The Trailblazers will not relocate.
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