The Portland Trail Blazers eliminated roughly 70 positions in their business operations department on Monday, the first major staff reduction since billionaire entrepreneur Tom Dundon purchased the franchise earlier this year.
Longtime Blazers.com writer Casey Holdahl, who had spent more than 18 years covering the team, confirmed on social media that he was part of the layoffs. “I have indeed been let go after 18+ years with the @trailblazers,” Holdahl wrote on X on May 19, 2026.
President of business operations Dewayne Hankins issued a statement acknowledging the cuts. “Today, 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, adding that the club is “focused on supporting affected employees while positioning the organization for long-term success.”
The reductions follow comments Dundon made last week on a podcast in which he defended his spending philosophy. The owner said he is willing to invest heavily in players and performance resources but is unwilling to fund what he considers unnecessary business expenses.
Dundon noted that the Blazers’ business operations cost about $100 million more annually than those of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, another franchise he owns. “I just don’t want to waste money. I want to invest it,” he said, emphasizing that cutting overhead would not affect spending on areas that directly help the team win.
The Trail Blazers did not disclose which departments were most affected or whether additional moves are forthcoming.
Source: Hoops Wire
