The interview with the team president is typically the most uncontroversial portion of NBA Media Day. That wasn’t the case at Portland Trail Blazers Media Day 2026.
The press conference room of the Moda Center carried an anticipatory air early Monday morning as it awaited the first speaker of the day, Blazers President of Business Operations Dewayne Hankins. More reporters and cameras filled the space compared to the previous two seasons. Quiet side conversations wondered how Hankins would handle
certain questions. One murmur remarked that this is going to be interesting.
The extra commotion stemmed from the off-court storyline that dominated the offseason in Rip City: the tense, still-ongoing negotiations between the Trail Blazers organization and local government as they try to reach a lease agreement that includes $573 million in public funding to renovate the Moda Center before a crucial December deadline, all while the threat of relocation looms overhead.
“These conversations continue to happen behind closed doors, and it’s most productive for us when they stay that way,” Hankins said about the negotiations during his opening remarks, glancing every so often at a sheet of paper he brought to the podium. “What I will say is this: We’re committed to Portland. We’re committed to a deal that works for our ownership. We’re committed to a deal that works for our public partners. We’re doing everything we can to ensure that the Trail Blazers stay right here.”
Despite those assurances, Hankins was still put through the wringer over the following 13 minutes like a boxer backed up against the ropes. He fielded tough question after tough question about the negotiations, faced with the unenviable and virtually unwinnable task of publicly defending the lease agreement sticking points of the organization and the Tom Dundon-led Rip City Rising Group, while simultaneously remaining inoffensive to the fans who love the Blazers and their city. Hankins had to execute that tight-rope act in front of a press pool that didn’t let him off the hook and required him to clarify/reiterate his points through several follow-up questions.
In one interaction, Hankins was asked to explain how it’s difficult to sell tickets in Portland — a concern he raised at a Portland City Council meeting in late July — even though he touted earlier on Monday that the team had a 94% season ticket renewal rate and year-over-year ticket revenue is up 22%.
“Two things can be true,” Hankins said. “Like I said, our fans show up and do an incredible job of supporting this team. When you have an audience like I was able to have with the City Council, you want to take advantage of that moment and that opportunity. We have several corporate partners who we have conversations with all the time about the ability to do business here in Portland, and there are challenges here.”
Multiple times, Hankins was pressed about the organization’s hold-up concerning the “first-class standard” provision from the 2024 bridge agreement. The provision enables the City to sue the franchise, only in the event it relocates, for not upholding the facilities at the Moda Center to a first-class standard. The franchise has sought an amendment to the 2024 bridge agreement so that provision is thrown out.
“I do think it’s a significant [issue], for sure,” Hankins said about the first-class standard. “But I think we’re trying to be creative in working through it. The City is trying to be creative in working through it. And ultimately, this is the thing I spend obviously most of my time focused on trying to solve. We hope and believe there’s a path to work through that with the City.”
Deeper into the interview, Hankins let out a small sigh and smile, presumably in exasperation or exhaustion, before answering a question about whether another bridge agreement is on the table since the December deadline for a long-term lease is fast approaching.
“Again, I’m not gonna negotiate that here or offer that up,” he said. “But I’d say we’re happy to get creative in any way we can to make sure the team stays in Portland.”
The questions poured in until the metaphorical bell mercifully rang at about the 17-minute mark, and Hankins exited the podium. The departure allowed the majority of the conversation to shift to basketball and a lighter tone for the rest of the day. In the end, the interview session with Hankins was likely more frustrating for fans than revelatory. That’s all to say, the session went about as expected, serving primarily as a reminder of a bothersome off-court storyline that will persist until a deal does or doesn’t get done by December.
Until then, the situation remains the same: The Blazers and local government are committed to getting a deal done to ensure their long-term partnership in Portland, but they still have a lot of work to do and challenges to overcome to get across the finish line.
“I’m not even thinking about that,” Hankins said about whether the team is exploring relocation possibilities. “And I’m hoping that obviously doesn’t happen, because we’re incredibly focused on trying to figure out these boulders and getting through whatever it is that we can get through to make sure the team stays here.”
