A lot is happening around the Portland Trail Blazers franchise ever since Tom Dundon took over as the team’s governor. In the biggest recent news, they added Ja Morant to their roster with a trade that saw Jerami Grant and Kris Murray head to Memphis.
Following the major announcement, ESPN’s senior NBA insider, Shams Charania, appeared on SportsCenter and declared that the Trail Blazers view Morant as the big move this offseason and are no longer focused on trying to land Jaylen Brown.
Subsequently, he also revealed that the franchise had its initial conversations with Morant less than 24 hours after the trade was finalized.
“They felt like they had to take a swing based on the talent that Ja Morant has, in hopes that he has a chip on his shoulder for motivation to turn his career around.”
“I will add one more note: the Blazers did speak to Ja Morant today shortly after the trade. I’m told he expressed to them that he’s excited to be in Portland,” concluded Charania.
Morant also responded with two emojis, a red and a black heart, to show his love for the trade as the Trail Blazers announced it on Instagram. Just hours before the trade was finalized, Morant posted some strong words on a comeback that may have been directed at the Grizzlies.
“Stay low, stay working. Nothing confuses people more than a comeback they never saw being built,” he wrote in an IG post he has since deleted.
“I stopped chasing approval and started chasing the feeling I almost forgot,” he wrote under another post. “They tried to bury my passion under doubt. All they did was give it fresh oxygen.”
So Morant seems to be motivated just as the Trail Blazers hoped he would be to bounce back from the slump he has been in since struggling with injuries.
Morant ended the 2025-26 season averaging 19.5 points, 8.1 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in the 20 games he played all season while shooting 41.0% from the field and 23.5% from behind the three-point line. Not what you expect from the two-time All-Star who was the face of the Grizzlies franchise.
Just as Ja Morant is looking to redefine his career with the Trail Blazers, the franchise might be seeing another major change, but this time in terms of venue.
The new team governor, Tom Dundon, is facing a major standoff with the government in Portland amidst their $600 million renovation of the Moda Center, which is their home arena. Dundon reportedly refused to include personal funds in the renovation and felt that the city and the people of Portland should pay the bill for the publicly owned arena’s upkeep.
According to Bill Oram of The Oregonian, the Trail Blazers’ governor could look to splash some cash on the Trail Blazers’ new arena, which could spell the end of the franchise’s time in Portland altogether. He is deep into the negotiations for the new arena, claims Oram.
Therefore, it’s not just Ja Morant but also the Trail Blazers who could be getting a fresh start in a new city soon. All eyes are now on the Trail Blazers as they look to redefine the franchise’s reputation in the wake of new ownership.
