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It’s been less than a month since Tom Dundon became the proud new owner of the Portland Trail Blazers after spending more than $4 billion to acquire the franchise. However, his tenure has gotten off to a rough start thanks to a slew of reports concerning the lengths he’s willing to go to in order to avoid shelling out more money than he has to.
Based on how things have been trending over the past few decades, purchasing a professional sports team has been a fantastic decision for people hoping to get a sizeable return on their investment. However, that kind of acquisition is currently reserved for people who can be best described as “Filthy Rich,” as it’s essentially reserved for prospective buyers with billions of dollars at their disposal.
That was certainly the case with Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder who purchased the Trail Blazers for $70 million in 1988. That NBA franchise was worth an estimated $1.3 billion when he passed away in 2018, and that number only continued to grow in the wake of his death.
In March, the team officially changed hands after being sold to an ownership group led by Tom Dundon, the billionaire who initially made his fortune on the back of subprime loans that attracted a number of lawsuits over their allegedly predatory nature. He’s served as the majority owner of the Carolina Hurricanes since 2018, and he now boasts the same status with the Trail Blazers following the $4.25 billion transaction that was finalized less than a month ago.
Only time will tell how that ends up working out for him, but some fans are a bit concerned with the direction things are heading based on a few red flags that have already started to pop up.
New Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon is seemingly cheaping out when it comes to travel, hotels, and t-shirts
They say you have to spend money to make money, and Dundon is seemingly more than happy to do exactly that based on how much he’s dropped out to add two professional sports teams to his portfolio. However, it does not seem like he’s particularly eager to keep those funds flowing in Portland.
Most NBA teams that make the playoffs commission t-shirts that are draped over the seats of the fans who get to go home with some free memorabilia, which was the case with the spectators who watched the Spurs face off against the Trail Blazers in San Antonio last week.
👀 It’s almost time my friends!!!
It’s soooo beautiful!!
WEAR YOUR SHIRTS y’al!!! pic.twitter.com/UlElIgDMvZ— Mark Burnett (@SpursSixthMan) April 17, 2026
However, the Trail Blazers made it clear they would not be going that route when the series heads to Portland later this week.
Based on a cursory search, free shirts have been distributed at the Moda Center at Trail Blazers playoff games stretching back to at least 2015. Co-owner Sheel Tyle says the team will hand out “something else” after snapping a four-year playoff drought, but that development has left fans concerned due to other reports concerning penny-pinching efforts under Dundon’s new watch.
On Sunday, The Rose Garden Report revealed Caleb Love, Chris Youngblood, and Jayson Kent did not travel with the team to San Antonio due to the two-way contracts that prevent them from appearing in a playoff game. Most teams are willing to foot the bill for guys in that position, but all signs point to that trio being left home as a cost-cutting measure.
That was also the case with the scene that unfolded in the lobby of a hotel in Phoenix before the Trail Blazers faced off against the Suns last week, as Sports Illustrated spoke with multiple sources who said staffers were told to leave their rooms by noon ahead of a game that tipped off at 7 P.M. to avoid late checkout fees.
But wait, there’s more!
Portland will also be looking for a permanent head coach after Tiago Splitter led them to the postseason in an interim role. However, Dundon has reportedly said he does not want to pay whoever lands the job more than $1.5 million a year, which will put them at a huge disadvantage in a league where most skippers who’ve won a title clear over $10 million on an annual basis.
There’s always a chance this stingy strategy will pay off in more ways than one, but I think fans have a right to be concerned.