Portland Trail Blazers weigh attending council meeting on arena lease proposal

Portland's Trail Blazers have not confirmed whether they will attend a City Council work session scheduled for Thursday to discuss a draft lease term sheet for the Moda Center. Team president Dewayne Hankins said discussions are ongoing with the city administrator’s staff and that a decision on attendance has not yet been made.

City Council President Jamie Dunphy, who sent a letter inviting the team to the session, indicated that earlier information about the Blazers’ refusal to attend was outdated. He wrote to Hankins, "I’m reading in the media that the Blazers would like to see some changes made to the draft term sheet that the City Council provided you last week. It would be extremely helpful if you and your team joined our work session to help me and my colleagues understand your needs."

The council plans to vote on the lease on Aug. 12. The proposal includes a 20-year term, a $3 million annual payment and a labor-harmony agreement emphasizing union labor. New owner Tom Dundon has indicated he would sign a lease if the team receives roughly $575 million in public funding, with the state legislature approving $365 million contingent on $208 million from the city and county for arena upgrades. The city controls $120 million of that amount and seeks details on how the Blazers intend to use the funds.

A source familiar with the negotiations described the term sheet as "a nonstarter," while Dunphy said the council lacks substantive information about the team's specific concerns.

"I’d like to turn the rhetoric down and not have these conversations in the media, to be honest," Hankins said. "It’s not helpful. It’s not effective. I just want to get a deal done, and this is not the way for us to get a deal done."