It’s unlikely that the Trail Blazers will make any roster decisions until after the All-Star break, Joe Freeman of the Oregonian reports (subscription required).
Two-way players Sidy Cissoko (49 games) and Caleb Love (44) are near their respective 50-game limits and would need to be signed to standard contracts to remain eligible for NBA contests. Portland already has a full 15-man roster.
Rayan Rupert and Matisse Thybulle are the players most likely to go if one or both two-way players get a promotion, Freeman writes. It’s also possible the Blazers may sign a veteran player who clears waivers.
Here’s more on the Blazers:
- Damian Lillard was joking around with Michael Levine, a marketing executive for the NBA, about participating in the three-point contest at All-Star weekend. When one competitor dropped out, the joke became a reality, as Jason Quick of The Athletic details. Lillard has been on the mend all season from the Achilles tear he suffered with Milwaukee during last year’s playoffs. “All-Star Weekend needs stars,” Lillard said. “People want to see stars competing.” Lillard said a challenge like this is just what he needs during the drudgery of injury rehab. “I need some competition,” he added. “I’ve just been working out, not playing, so I need some type of competition. I just need a bump.”
- Renovations could be coming soon to Moda Center, the team’s longtime arena. Efforts to secure public funding for renovations formally ramped up on Monday with the introduction of a bill in the Oregon Senate that drew widespread support from government leaders, including Gov. Tina Kotek, Bill Oram of The Oregonian reports. The bill will be sent to the Senate Committee on Rules and have its first hearing on Wednesday morning.
- Will renovations for the arena or the impending ownership change assure that the Blazers will remain in Portland long-term? Writing for The Oregonian, Oram says he isn’t so sure that the NBA considers Portland a major-league city or that city leaders prioritize sports and are willing to make the necessary investments.
Waive Rupert and Murray
Wow – they are already trying to run the extortion racket on Portland. American sports are shameless. The team owners and the league make so much money and then turn around and put pressure on these cities to pay to keep their teams. Let them go. You’ll find something else to do. I went to a great minor league baseball game in Portland a couple years back.
I am glad I cheer for a team that build their own arena because I agree generally these types of deals completely screw taxpayers which is utter BS
Lillard was always overrated
I am a fan of having the Blazers in Portland. But not if it’s going to cost us taxpayers. A sports franchise should BRING money to the city. Not drain resources from it. Steve Ballmer proved local resources don’t need to be allocated.
The Moda Center isn’t in need of any structural repairs. I was just there. The new owners want a vanity project funded. That’s all this is. The Moda Center does good business without the Blazers. Concerts and comedic acts are booked throughout the year.
Let the new owners pay for their own “upgrades.” Hundreds of millions of dollars would be better allocated in Portland and throughout Oregon.
The new owners can take the team and walk. Then they can pay the Moda Center for breaking their lease.
I really thought taxpayer funded upgrades for sports franchises were a thing of the past. They never work in the taxpayers favor. NEVER.
We’re talking about using the income tax from the multi-million dollar salaries of the players that come to play at the Moda Center to help renovate it. If the team leaves, so does that income stream. Anyone who says “Let them walk” is short-sighted and uninformed.
That seems like it will deter players from coming to Portland. I’m an Oakland sports fan, so I know plenty about having a team extort money from the City.
Income taxes from NBA players (or any visiting athletes) largely go to the state, not to a particular arena or city.
In Oregon, income tax is collected by the state government, not Multnomah County or the City of Portland.
So you’re wrong.
Therefore, using “the income tax from the players that come to play at the Moda Center” to fund renovations is misleading—the state doesn’t earmark that money for a specific venue.
You say, if the team leaves, all associated income streams vanish.
Wrong again.
Fans and spending don’t just disappear. People often redirect that spending elsewhere in the region (restaurants, concerts, other sports).
Anyone simping for the billionaire class is short-sighted and uninformed.
Class dismissed.
How much of that $600m stadium upgrade is to be paid from the billionaire owner? $0