Trail Blazers Billionaire Owner Doubles Down After ‘Cheap' Accusations

New Portland Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon wants you to know one thing: he isn’t being cheap, he is being resourceful.

Dundon, who also oversees the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL, is new to the basketball industry and has come under fire early in his tenure in Portland for how he has handled some of his first obstacles with the franchise.

After a surprise run to the playoffs backed by the strong fanbase in the Northwest, Dundon was spotlighted for doing things that were uncommon compared to other franchises in the playoffs.

The team’s staff were asked to check out at noon and wait in the lobby until heading to the road game at night, with their luggage for a red-eye trip back home, instead of getting a late checkout.

Along with that, while every other team in the league brought their two-way players along to experience the playoffs with the rest of the team, Dundon kept the Blazers’ two-way players at home.

More news: Billionaire Blazers Owner Slammed Over Controversial Cost-Cutting Decisions

More news: Thunder vs Spurs Could Become Gen Z's Cavs-Warriors

On the “Game Over” podcast with Rich Paul and Max Kellerman, Dundon opened up about his decisions.

“I’m just not gonna waste $100 million just because someone wants to write an article calling me cheap,” he said. “I’m not going to do it. It’s hard because I don’t think of a budget when it comes to the playing team and how to make sure we win. Some of the stuff that was blamed on money is actually not 100 percent true.”

He championed his decision not to grant a late check-out to the staff, saying that the hotel in Phoenix would have charged them for another night if they had wanted to stay longer. So while he got the extra night for the coaches and players to relax before the game, he used a ballroom in the hotel for the staff to work at, with free food provided before they left for the game.

During the conversation about leaving his two-way players at home, Dundon brought up the differences between the NHL and the NBA, brushing it off as a mistake on his end.

“On traveling players, I just made a mistake,” he said. “I just don’t understand the league. In hockey, we don’t travel with extra people because we’re not on vacation. We’re here to win. I don’t want the distraction. The NBA seems to live with those distractions. It’s not how I think about it. So you gotta sorta live and learn.”

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 6:44 PM.