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The Portland Trail Blazers could scrap the current framework for a taxpayer-funded Moda Center renovation altogether.
According to The Oregonian/OregonLive's Shane Dixon Kavanaugh and Mike Rogoway, a top Trail Blazers official said one "very real" outcome of Monday's board meeting is ownership resetting negotiations over the proposed arena renovation, potentially abandoning the current framework that includes $365 million in state funding approved earlier this year.
The report comes just days after The Athletic's Jason Quick reported that Portland and the Blazers remain "very far apart" on a new lease agreement after the city delivered its initial term sheet last week.
The anonymous team official also criticized the city's proposal, saying nearly every major provision would be a non-starter from the organization's perspective.
Among the reported sticking points are Portland's request that the Blazers make annual payments in lieu of property taxes, hire union labor for the renovation project, and provide additional community benefits tied to the arena redevelopment.
"Why is the city sending this thing knowing that we're not going to agree to it?" the official told The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and City Council President Jamie Dunphy pushed back Monday, saying the draft term sheet was developed in good faith and represents "a market-rate renovation deal" that includes worker protections and community benefits. They also said the proposal was completed without financial information the city has repeatedly requested from the franchise.
The latest developments come after NBA commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged that negotiations had gone "off track" in last week's Board of Governors meetings in Las Vegas. Silver said the league office remains actively involved in discussions between the franchise and city officials, adding that there are still "several open issues" that must be resolved to ensure the Trail Blazers' long-term future in Portland.
Silver's comments came before the latest report suggesting ownership could abandon the negotiating framework altogether, a development that would make it even more difficult for sides to reach a long-term lease agreement before funding deadlines arrive.
The two sides remain under pressure to reach an agreement.
Portland's City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposed funding package Aug. 12, while the state's $365 million funding commitment expires if a deal isn't reached by Dec. 31.
If ownership decides to reset the negotiations, it could further complicate efforts to reach an agreement before that deadline, marking a setback in talks Silver recently acknowledged had gone "off track.
Continue reading...
According to The Oregonian/OregonLive's Shane Dixon Kavanaugh and Mike Rogoway, a top Trail Blazers official said one "very real" outcome of Monday's board meeting is ownership resetting negotiations over the proposed arena renovation, potentially abandoning the current framework that includes $365 million in state funding approved earlier this year.
The report comes just days after The Athletic's Jason Quick reported that Portland and the Blazers remain "very far apart" on a new lease agreement after the city delivered its initial term sheet last week.
The anonymous team official also criticized the city's proposal, saying nearly every major provision would be a non-starter from the organization's perspective.
Among the reported sticking points are Portland's request that the Blazers make annual payments in lieu of property taxes, hire union labor for the renovation project, and provide additional community benefits tied to the arena redevelopment.
"Why is the city sending this thing knowing that we're not going to agree to it?" the official told The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and City Council President Jamie Dunphy pushed back Monday, saying the draft term sheet was developed in good faith and represents "a market-rate renovation deal" that includes worker protections and community benefits. They also said the proposal was completed without financial information the city has repeatedly requested from the franchise.
The latest developments come after NBA commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged that negotiations had gone "off track" in last week's Board of Governors meetings in Las Vegas. Silver said the league office remains actively involved in discussions between the franchise and city officials, adding that there are still "several open issues" that must be resolved to ensure the Trail Blazers' long-term future in Portland.
Silver's comments came before the latest report suggesting ownership could abandon the negotiating framework altogether, a development that would make it even more difficult for sides to reach a long-term lease agreement before funding deadlines arrive.
The two sides remain under pressure to reach an agreement.
Portland's City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposed funding package Aug. 12, while the state's $365 million funding commitment expires if a deal isn't reached by Dec. 31.
If ownership decides to reset the negotiations, it could further complicate efforts to reach an agreement before that deadline, marking a setback in talks Silver recently acknowledged had gone "off track.
Continue reading...
