Portland Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon is having a Tale of Two Cities moment in June of 2026. The Carolina Hurricanes, his NHL team, is playing in the Stanley Cup Finals. His leadership with the organization is being feted on a regular basis. Meanwhile the Blazers, his new NBA franchise, have undergone a turbulent spring, losing in the NBA Playoffs while suffering rounds of layoffs and fan-unfriendly public-relations incidents.
Today James Mirtle of The Athletic wrote about the dichotomy in a piece
covering Dundon. He started off strong with praise from the staff of the Hurricanes, all of whom offered positives about their owner:
“I give him tons of credit,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said of Dundon. “We’ve been pretty solid ever since he showed up on the scene.”
“He’s given everything he can to get us our best chance,” Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said. “(He) changed it right from the start.”
“He’s always looking for ways to chart an even better course,” general manager Eric Tulsky added.
The piece pivoted quickly to the well-chronicled Trail Blazers feather-ruffling. Mirtle was quick to relay Dundon’s confidence in his approach and the impression that it was systematic, not circumstantial or personal. But he also affirmed that it was inevitable. Dundon sticks to his convictions no matter who stands in the way:
“You have somebody who’s coming in and asking in every area: ‘Why are you doing it this way? Are you sure that’s the right way?’” said Tulsky, then the Hurricanes’ manager of hockey analytics. “And the answer — ‘I’ve been doing this for 15 years. Trust me. I know.’ — didn’t fly with him. He wanted you to convince him. And that’s scary for someone who’s been doing it for 15 years and feels like they know it and they’re being challenged.”
Dundon also defended the approach himself, remaining steadfast despite any fears that may come in its wake:
The cuts also stoked fears among fans that the franchise would eventually be relocated. But again, Dundon does not apologize. “We kept a lot of people and got rid of a lot of people and all the story was about who you got rid of, not who you kept,” he said. “I think the ability to look at everybody and make sure the people you absolutely have to have (ultimately) stay with you is important. And we did it here.”
That does not answer relocation questions, of course. Dundon’s response reframed the topic. But it does sound very much like Portland’s new owner would prefer credit for keeping anyone employed in the franchise rather than scrutiny for the employees let go. Duly noted.
