‘Buy the Blazers’ campaign launches to keep team in Portland amid uncertain future

Published 8:47 pm Monday, August 4, 2025

A grassroots campaign has launched in Portland with a bold goal: buy the Trail Blazers.

The ‘Buy the Blazers’ group is attempting to crowdfund enough money to buy the NBA franchise, which is now up for grabs following the estate of the late Paul Allen putting it up for sale.

As of this week, the campaign has raised about $1 million, far short of the estimated $3-4 billion price tag the team is expected to go for. Nevertheless, backers of the ‘Buy the Blazers’ effort acknowledge that it’s first and foremost a fan movement meant to show public support for keeping the basketball team in Portland amid its uncertain future.

What is happening to the Blazers?

The Blazers’ uncertainty began in May, when Allen’s estate confirmed it was moving forward with selling the team, as Allen directed in his will. This upcoming sale comes right on the back of the NBA’s new 2025-26 media rights agreements — an 11-year, $76 billion package with ESPN, NBC and Amazon — that will significantly boost franchise valuations across the league.

Additionally, the recent $6.1 billion sale of the Boston Celtics has only reinforced how high the going rate is for an NBA team. However, the purchase of the Blazers franchise won’t come without strings attached.

While the team is currently under lease at Moda Center through 2030, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has recently stated that any new ownership group will need to consider substantial upgrades or replacement of the 29-year-old arena.

During the NBA Summer League, Silver said at a press conference that while he wants to keep the team in Portland, the Blazers will “likely need a new arena.”

In the meantime, the answer of who will pay for that new arena remains unknown. There haven’t been any solid rumored buyers of the team, and the city of Portland currently owns the Moda Center after acquiring it from the Blazers earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the fate of the Blazers in Portland also hangs in the balance. Seattle, which lost its beloved SuperSonics 17 years ago, and Las Vegas are just two of many cities vying for an NBA team. So, the combination of an upcoming sale and aging arena has raised concerns that Portland could lose the Blazers if it doesn’t act soon.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson have voiced support for keeping the team in the city. In late July, Kotek and Wilson sent a joint letter to Silver chronicling the importance of the team to the city and pledging to work with the league and the new owner to keep the Blazers in Portland.

“We’re writing to let you know we heard you loud and clear earlier this summer when you said you wanted to keep the Blazers in Portland under new ownership and made it clear that our arena isn’t up to snuff,” Kotek and Wilson wrote. “We also want to be loud and clear that as the Governor of Oregon and Mayor of Portland, we fully support renovating the Moda Center to become a point of pride for the Blazers and for our city. We are prepared to explore the public-private partnerships needed to make it happen.”

Kotek and Wilson are also joined by Rip City Forever, a separate coalition of former players and local business leaders pushing to keep the team in Portland. That group, along with “Buy the Blazers,” hopes to build public pressure and momentum for keeping the team local throughout the upcoming sale process.