The story of Tom Dundon as a sports franchise owner in 2026 is, in many ways, a tale of two cities. Out east in Raleigh, the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes captured their first Stanley Cup in 20 years—and the first of Dundon’s tenure as majority owner after he took over the team in 2017. On the West Coast, his newer franchise, the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, made a surprising run to the playoffs ... which Dundon’s aggressive cost-cutting measures largely overshadowed.
Dundon’s frugality has already brought significant negative attention to the Blazers, and now he is embroiled in a standoff with the city over expensive renovations to Moda Center, the franchise’s city-owned home since its opening in 1995, ahead of the end of the Trail Blazers lease with the arena in 2030.
