The Trail Blazers’ new owner is a cheapskate billionaire, but there could be a method to his madness

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 2: Tom Dundon speaks during the Rip City Rising Press Conference on April 2, 2026 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images There’s always going to be an adjustment period when a team gets a new owner, but the Portland Trail Blazers are getting used to a bizarre new normal of austerity.

Tom Dundon, who finalized his purchase of the team last month, is coming under scrutiny for extreme cost-cutting measures that cross well beyond saving money and into nonsensical cheapness. Discussion of Dundon’s ownership practices came under fire this week following two reports from Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. The first stemmed from Dundon taking the weird approach of not having the Blazers’ two-way players travel for road playoff games.

It made Portland the only team in the NBA to do so, and while two-way players can’t participate in the games themselves, having them travel with the team is viewed as important for team building. In addition, it’s a moral boost not to leave some members of the team at home, siloed off from the rest of the roster because of their two-way contracts. As Highkin mentions, it’s also extremely insulting to players who were instrumental during the regular season in helping the Blazers make their first playoff run in five years.

“[Caleb] Love and Sidy Cissoko were instrumental in getting the Blazers through that stretch of the season, going well beyond the kind of minutes and production that teams with playoff aspirations normally expect from their two-ways. It’s a horrible look for a new owner to come in and nickel and dime a franchise like this, but the second report of Dundon’s cheapness could legitimately damage the future of the Trail Blazers. It’s being reported that interim head coach Tiago Splitter has been low-balled on a long-term contract .