Tom Dundon’s penny-pinching reputation since taking over as owner of the Trail Blazers continues to grow. Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report states in a subscriber-only story that Portland didn’t bring two-way players Caleb Love, Chris Youngblood and Jayson Kent to San Antonio for the first two games of its first-round playoff series.
Players on two-way contracts aren’t eligible to appear in the postseason, but it’s common practice to have them accompany their teams on road trips. Highkin checked with sources from the other seven teams that were on the road this weekend and confirmed that they all brought their two-way players, even though they were in street clothes. Highkin describes the Blazers’ decision as “well outside of standard practice” for NBA teams.
He points out that it’s “particularly insulting” for Love, a rookie shooting guard, who turned in several high-scoring performances in December and January when the team’s backcourt was dealing with multiple injuries. Highkin notes that Love and Sidy Cissoko, who was promoted to a standard contract in February after reaching his 50-game limit, both played important roles in helping the Blazers survive that stretch and giving them the opportunity to reach the playoffs.
As Highkin notes, there have been several “red flags” regarding Dundon’s reluctance to shell out money since he bought the team. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line recently reported that Dundon doesn’t want to spend more than $1.5MM on his next head coach, which is closer to the price range of top NBA assistants. That has led to speculation that interim head coach Tiago Splitter might not return after taking over following Chauncey Billups’ gambling arrest and leading Portland to its first playoff appearance since 2021. Fischer also stated that the Blazers had exploratory talks with 20 college and international coaches in hopes of finding someone willing to accept the job at a discounted rate.
Dundon also reportedly had support staff check out of their hotel rooms in Phoenix at noon last Tuesday to avoid paying for an extra day. Staff members sat in the hotel lobby for several hours in their team gear as they waited for the first bus to the arena.
