Blazers Owner Says Portland Stay Priority

Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon says keeping the team in Portland is his priority as the franchise and local officials negotiate a new 20-year lease and a nearly $600 million Moda Center renovation. The talks, which were contentious over the summer, have shown signs of improving after Dundon met with Portland officials and business leaders. A December deadline puts hundreds of millions of dollars in public financing at risk if the sides do not reach agreement. The prospect of relocation has remained a concern: reporting said Dundon raised it privately with NBA officials and team owners, though he denied those discussions and said relocation is not a conversation.