Trail Blazers Rumor Suggests New Owner’s Cheapness Turned Off 2 Proven Coach Candidates

Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

A new rumor suggests a pair of elite NBA coaches have already passed on being the Portland Trail Blazers official replacement for Chauncey Billups.

The Trail Blazers had a dark cloud hanging over their season from day one, when former head coach Billups was implicated in a wild poker-rigging scheme. However, interim head coach Tiago Splitter did an impressive job of overcoming the drama. Leading them to a 42-40 record and their first trip to the playoffs since 2021.

A key reason why is a career year from former Washington Wizards lottery pick Deni Avdija. The 25-year-old leads the team in scoring (24.2 PPG) and dropped 41 in their Play-In win last week. Their series with the San Antonio Spurs should be fun while it lasts, but either way, Splitter has earned a chance to hold on to his job permanently. However, it seems like he has not impressed his owner, Tom Dundon.

The team’s new owner has quickly developed a negative reputation with Blazers fans just a month into his ownership, with some fiscally conservative — or cheap — decisions. He chose to save money by not having two-way players join the trip for their first two playoff games on the road. They won’t give away free T-shirts for their home postseason matchups this week. And Dundon reportedly also does not want to pay more than $1.5 million annually for his next head coach.