The Portland Trail Blazers are just days away from kicking off their 2026 NBA season, with a new-look team ready to hit the floor. The Blazers' offseason has in some ways been overshadowed by the controversies of owner Tom Dundon, who has come to represent everything that fans resent about penny-pinching owners in professional sports.

Among the controversies has been speculation that Dundon has had talks about moving the team out of Portland amid issues around the Moda Center, but now, the owner has spoken on those talks with a much different tone.

“That is not accurate,” he said, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

However, Vorkunov also reported that “Dundon was met with resistance during those conversations, and the league told him to focus on trying to make the Blazers work in Portland, sources said.”

In addition to the potential relocation issue, Dundon also generated criticism by refusing to allow two-way players to travel with the team for their playoff series last year against the San Antonio Spurs, skimping on t-shirts for fans in attendance for their two home postseason games, and only offering head coach Micah Nori one guaranteed season on his contract.

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It's been a quick rise to the bottom of the NBA ownership hierarchy in fans' eyes for Dundon, with the Blazers also making some puzzling moves on the court ahead of the upcoming season. The team added to their already crowded backcourt rotation by trading for Ja Morant, with the tandem of him and Damian Lillard expected to be among the worst defensive backcourts in recent NBA history, in addition to other moves.

In any case, the Blazers are set to kick off their new year on Wednesday evening with a home game vs the Phoenix Suns.