Relocation concerns surrounding the Portland Trail Blazers resurfaced this week after former team employee Brian Berger said he believes new owner Tom Dundon could eventually attempt to move the franchise out of Portland, despite repeated public statements emphasizing long-term stability.
Speaking on Yahoo Sports, Berger said he expects Dundon to pursue an aggressive negotiating strategy tied to arena and city support before potentially using stalled discussions as justification for relocation.
“I think he’s going to do everything in his power to move them,” Berger said, via HoopsHype. “It breaks my heart to say that because I used to work for the Trail Blazers. I live in Portland. But this seems to be Sonics 2.0. I think he’s going to say all the right things and at the end of the day, he’s going to come with a pretty cutthroat deal for the state and the city. And when they don’t make that deal, I think he’s going to use that as his excuse to move the team.”
Berger worked in the Trail Blazers’ communications and marketing department from 1992 to 1998. He began as an intern in broadcasting before moving into event coordination at Memorial Coliseum and later public relations work tied to the franchise’s transition into the Rose Garden, now known as Moda Center. He also served on the arena’s grand opening committee before later building a career in sports public relations and media.
The former Portland employee also pointed to Dundon’s early cost-cutting decisions as part of the reason for his skepticism about the organization’s direction.
“He’s been a bull in a china shop so far,” Berger said. “He’s come in and just cut costs. He didn’t allow t-shirts. I look at teams like the Knicks and the Spurs and you see all the former players sitting courtside and how the teams have embraced the former players. He got rid of a lot of the people that had connections to the former players last week when they laid off 70 people.”
Berger added that Dundon is operating the franchise in a way he believes mirrors the owner’s approach with the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL, while arguing that NBA organizations function differently due to roster-building economics, spending expectations and organizational structure.
The comments arrive during a transition period for Portland under Dundon’s ownership. The franchise finished the 2025-26 regular season 42-40 and reached the Western Conference play-in before losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the opening round of the playoffs. The roster remains centered around a young group led by Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe and Donovan Clingan.
At the same time, Dundon has publicly denied relocation intentions. The owner said the franchise was not purchased with plans to leave Portland and framed infrastructure investment and long-term competitiveness as priorities.
Dundon also pushed back against perceptions that he is unwilling to spend, saying he would enter the luxury tax if basketball decisions justified it.
