Trail Blazers Cut Dozens of Business Staff in Dundon-Led Reorganization
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The Portland Trail Blazers have dismissed a large group of business-side employees as part of a restructuring ordered by new owner Tom Dundon, team president Dewayne Hankins confirmed on Wednesday.
“As part of our plans to position the organization for the future, we made the difficult decision to restructure several areas of the business,” Hankins said in a statement to The Oregonian. “These changes impacted talented people who have helped shape the Trail Blazers over many years. We are deeply grateful for their contributions … Our focus now is supporting those affected through the transition and positioning the organization for long-term success.”
Local outlets reported that more than 70 staffers lost their jobs. The franchise did not immediately respond to ESPN’s request for comment.
Dundon, who finalized his purchase of the club earlier this year, has faced scrutiny for cost-cutting moves that include asking employees to check out of hotels early to avoid extra fees and declining to bring two-way players on postseason road trips.
Speaking last week on the “Game Over” podcast, the billionaire defended his approach by comparing the Blazers’ spending to that of his NHL team, the Carolina Hurricanes. “I just don’t want to waste money. I want to invest it,” Dundon said. He added that Portland’s annual non-player expenses exceed those of the Hurricanes by roughly $100 million, noting that Carolina has maintained “the first- or second-best record in the league” since he took over.
“I’m just not going to waste $100 million just because somebody wants to write an article calling me cheap,” he said on the podcast.
Workforce changes following an ownership transition are common across the NBA.
Source: ESPN
