After a 36-46 season and finishing 12th in the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers hope to have a better 2025-2026 season. The Blazers made some big offseason moves this year, drafting the 7 ‘1 CBA (Chinese Basketball Association) star, Yang Hansen, and trading Anfernee Simons for Jrue Holiday, along with signing Damian Lillard. Head Coach Chauncey Billups hopes this is the year this young team can make the jump from mediocre to good. The Blazers owner, Paul G. Allen Estate, also sold the team this offseason to a group led by Tom Dundon, who is also the owner of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. Along with all the new developments, it might be time for a new stadium. The current Moda Center is 30 years old and hasn’t had any major renovations.
The 2024-2025 season for the Portland Trail Blazers could be summed up in one word: CLOSE. The
In the first half of the season, they went 11-21 and were at the bottom of the Western Conference. Almost everyone gave up on the team, calling for Billups to get fired. However, in the second half of the season, this team showed great promise. Over the final 41 games, the Blazers’ record was 23-18. Led by Deni Avdjia, averaging 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists last season, and Jerami Grant, averaging 14,4 and 2. Some other notable players were Shadeon Sharpe, averaging 18, 4, and 3, and former 3rd overall pick, Scoot Henderson, averaging 13, 3, and 5. Fans are very excited to see the Blazers’ 16th pick of this year’s draft, Yang Hansen, who averaged 16,10, 3 assists, and blocks in the CBA. (Stats via ESPN) Along with Yang, they have arguably 2 of the best defenders in the league, Toumani Camara and Jrue Holiday. “We have a lot of talent on this roster, but a lot of its untapped potential. There are numerous young guys who have multiple steps they still need to take, “says Blazers GM Joe Cronin on the upcoming season. The Blazers have the pieces for the puzzle; they just have to put them together.
The new owner of the team, Tom Dundon, is joined by the co-founders of Panda Express, along with other notable individuals. The deal is worth approximately $4.25 billion, and it is expected to close by the end of the 2025-2026 season. The long wait is because it needs approval from the NBA Board of Governors, a three-quarters majority (23 out of 30) team vote needed to ratify the sale. There was concern that the team would move out of Portland with new ownership. However, Tom Dundon made the decision that the team would stay in Portland. “This legacy belongs to Portland, and it’s here to stay,” comments Oregon Governor Tina Kotek on the Blazers staying in Portland. The Trailblazers have been in Portland all 55 years since the 1970 NBA expansion. There are lots of projects that need to be done to show why they kept the team in Portland.
One of the main priorities for the Trailblazers is upgrading their stadium, whatever that may be. A renovation of the stadium? Or a completely new stadium? Only time will tell. The Moda Center, Aka “The Rose Garden,” is the oldest stadium in the NBA that hasn’t been renovated. The organization this summer has been putting in a brand new Jumbotron, 7,500 square feet of LED screens, and brand new endzone videoboards. They hope these upgrades will elevate the fan experience and atmosphere. “We’re building on our legacy of innovation with these new dynamic endzone videoboards, designed to bring fans closer to the game than ever before,” says Dewayne Hankins, President of Business Operations, on the new upgrades in the arena. The arena means so much to the city and its people. I think I speak for all fans when I say that if they do decide to build a new arena, it wouldn’t have the same nostalgic feeling as the “Rose Garden”. Portland Mayor, Keith Wilson, spoke on the choice to make a brand new arena on a different property or renovate the current arena. “This address in our city has always been our entertainment center where everybody comes.” The Moda Center has five years left on its lease, so we will soon see what they decide to do.
With the season just around the corner, teams have already started training camp, and media days are next week. This is a pivotal year for the Blazers organization. Will the team make the playoff jump? Will Tom Dundon decide to move arenas? Or will the new Moda Center upgrades convince him not to? The Portland Trail Blazers’ regular season kicks off on October 22 against the Minnesota TimberWolves.
