Tom Dundon’s Private Mail Brings Good News to Trail Blazers Fans Over Arena

Heading into the 2026-27 season, the Portland Trail Blazers organization will be led by the team's new owner, Tom Dundon. Back in late 2025, Dundon led the 'Rip City Rising' investor group to purchase the Trail Blazers for $4.25 billion. It wasn't until April this year that the NBA Board of Governors officially approved his acquisition.

With the 2026 NBA Preseason underway, Dunon has made some promises in an exclusive e-mail to Portland fans.

"I'm still getting to know Portland and this fanbase," Dundon wrote. "But one thing is already clear: you show up, you care, and you expect more than mediocrity. I respect that... I don't believe in making promises I can't back up. My track record speaks for itself, and my intention here is clear: bring a championship to Portland."

While Dundon's ultimate goal is to try to help the Blazers bring home a title in the future, he also intends to maintain Moda Center. Despite being under new ownership, Tom has no intention of changing the team's venue moving forward. In fact, he plans to ensure that Moda Center remains the Blazers' home in the NBA.

"On the arena, our focus is the long term," Dundon also said in his e-mail. "We're working to make sure Moda Center remains one of the best buildings in the NBA. There's work ahead, and we'll keep pushing until we get there."

With that in mind, it appears that the Trail Blazers will remain in Portland and won't relocate, as fans were worried about.

Trail Blazers Make Questionable Call Over Broadcaster

While Portland Trail Blazers Owner Tom Dundon has made reassuring promises for the franchise, it appears that the organization has already made a questionable call.

On Oct. 1, the Trail Blazers hired play-by-play broadcaster Braiden Bell. He was supposedly set to become long-time announcer Kevin Calabro's replacement. However, after learning about Bell's previous behavior, the Trail Blazers surprisingly fired him that same day.

After assessing Bell's old posts on X, some were racist and sexist, which the Trail Blazers organization disliked. Portland released a formal statement on X.

"The Portland Trail Blazers have zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments," The statement reads. "Social media posts made by our recently announced play-by-play broadcaster are in clear violation of team and league policies, as well as our values and expectations. Therefore, we will not be moving forward with this broadcaster."

"The play-by-play role carries a long legacy of excellence, on the broadcast and in character, and we hold that standard without exception," the statement continues. "We did not meet our own bar in this process, and for that we apologize to Blazers fans and to Rip City. We believe strongly that everyone who is a part of Rip City should feel welcome and safe, and we will make sure that our new broadcaster reflects these values. We will do better."

While it's great to see that the Blazers are prioritizing a safe-for-work environment, Bell's posts were from when he was only 15. Braiden never made these comments as a professional. This led Portland fans to question the organization for firing a man who was simply being a kid back in 2012 to 2013.

With the Blazers declaring that they plan on searching for another play-by-play commentator, it's unlikely that Bell will get reinstated. However, given the backlash among the fan base, you never know.