Mar 9, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (1) high-fives teammate Trail Blazers’ forward Jerami Grant (9) as Grant enters the line up at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

Blazers Expected to Push For New Arena, Says Insider

Originally posted on Portland Trail Blazers on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Aug 8, 2025 8:00 PM ET

The Portland Trail Blazers are in the midst of trying to find a new owner for the team. After decades under the control of the Allen family, they have decided to sell the team.

Paul Allen passed away back in 2018. Since then, those around the NBA have been wondering if his family was going to sell the Trail Blazers. That time has finally come.

It's very likely that the team will stay in Portland, which is likely to be a condition of any sale to a new ownership group. It looks like they will push for a new arena, too.

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The Portland Trail Blazers are likely to push for a new arena when they are sold

While finding a new ownership group is the priority, there is a good chance that the new group will want a new arena in Portland, since the lease with the Moda Center only lasts five more years.

The Blazers will likely work with the city of Portland to get some help financing a new arena. The negotiations will probably take a while, which is why they are likely going to get started as soon as a new ownership group is in place.

The Moda Center has been around since 1995, so it is 30 years old. That's not terribly old as far as arenas are concerned, but a new ownership group would love to buy the team and move them into a new place.

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Portland will likely help finance the arena because they don't want to lose the team to another city. Those around the league are wondering if they could be a candidate for relocation.

The NBA would prefer not to lose the Pacific Northwest as a market completely after the Supersonics moved to Oklahoma City. Keeping Portland there would be preferable.

At this point, it's still unclear who the new ownership group will be. The Blazers are still parsing through who might give them the best deal.

It's likely that the team is sold at some point during the season, but the sale likely won't be finalized until either the end of next season or sometime during the offseason.