Trail Blazers Owner Tom Dundon: 'my Intention Here Is Clear: Bring A Championship To Portland'

On the eve of his team's NBA preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors, and in the midst of a series of controversies surrounding his ownership and management of the franchise he bought seven months ago, billionaire Tom Dundon told Portland Trail Blazers season ticket holders in a letter sent Tuesday night that his "intention" as owner of the franchise "is clear: bring a championship to Portland."

In the letter to Blazers "Season Ticket Members," copies of which were obtained by multiple Portlandmediamembers — including Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report, who notes that at least half of the contents of the letter appear to have been generated by AI — Dundon recapped the successes of last season, which saw the Blazers finish above .500 and return to the playoffs for the first time in five years. He praised the development of young players like All-Star forward Deni Avdija, ascendant defenders Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan, and former No. 3 overall draft pick Scoot Henderson, as well as the contributions of veterans Jrue Holiday and Robert Williams III.

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Dundon highlighted Portland's surprise offseason trade for former Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant — "a two-time All-Star and one of the most explosive players in the league" — as well as the highly anticipated return of franchise icon Damian Lillard after missing all of last season rehabilitating a ruptured Achilles tendon, and the arrival of new head coach Micah Nori to take over what Dundon called "a team with talent, depth and momentum."

"The expectation is straightforward: compete every night and take another step forward," the letter reads. "No shortcuts."

Dundon — who made his fortune in subprime auto loans, owns the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes, and purchased the Trail Blazers at a valuation of $4.25 billion back in March — has come under fire frequently during his opening months as the Blazers' owner for what some have characterized as a number of financial shortcuts in his stewardship of the franchise.

He has drawn fire for cutting costs on players' travel and hotel accommodations during the Blazers' first-round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs and laying off dozens of staffers shortly after the end of the season. He's received criticism for reportedly levying low-ball offers to prospective head-coaching candidates and legendary broadcaster Kevin Calabro, for eventually hiring Nori to a deal that includes just one guaranteed year (a structure that elicited sharp rebukes from the NBA's coaching establishment), and for hiring and firing Calabro's replacement, 29-year-old broadcaster Braiden Bell, in a span of just one day following the resurfacing of a series of offensive tweets that Bell had posted when he was a teenager.

The string of public embarrassments has come in the broader context of ongoing negotiations between the Trail Blazers and local government officials over proposals to fund massive renovations to the city-owned Moda Center, as well as a proposed new 20-year lease that would ensure the Blazers, who premiered in Portland in 1970, remain there through at least 2050. Dundon and the team spent the summer taking a hard line in negotiations, saying local taxpayers should foot the full bill for the renovations rather than expecting him to contribute, raising their hackles about the specifics of a term sheet to oversee the project, and calling the local business environment "stagnant."

That saber-rattling stoked fears among Blazers fans that Dundon — born in New York, raised in Dallas, owner of an NHL team in North Carolina, with no prior connection to the city of Portland or the state of Oregon — was looking to move the franchise out of Portland just as Clay Bennett moved the Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City in 2008.

"It's not like we lose money moving the team," an anonymous team source told The Oregonian in July, as negotiations with local officials grew increasingly contentious ahead of county and city votes to approve more than $200 million in public funding for the project. "We might spend money, but we don't lose money. It might be OK to spend a billion dollars on a relocation fee if the valuation of the team doubles. Of course, you would do that."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said after last month's Board of Governors meeting that he hopes "that we can lower the temperature, honestly, a bit in these negotiations," and that he "would see it as a failure if we did not keep the team in Portland."

In the letter to season ticket holders, Dundon addressed the ongoing arena and lease negotiations, which continue ahead of a December deadline. But he did so without making firm statements in any direction.

"On the arena, our focus is the long term," the letter reads. "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.

"I'm still getting to know Portland and this fanbase. But one thing is already clear: you show up, you care and you expect more than mediocrity. I respect that. I saw the same commitment in Raleigh, where fans just watched [the Hurricanes] hoist the Stanley Cup. 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."

The Blazers open the regular season Oct. 21 against the Phoenix Suns.