The first of two critical votes keeping the Portland Trail Blazers in Oregon went through on August 6, when Multnomah County commissioners voted 4-1 to approve a term sheet committing up to $101.6 million toward the $600 million renovation of the Moda Center.
The vote was $13.6 million more than the original $88 million proposed in March, with the increase accounting for maintenance and service costs. County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson made the stakes explicit in her closing remarks, addressing the NBA directly from the dais.
"I want this step today to be seen by the NBA and its board of governors to know just how serious we are about keeping the Blazers here in Portland," Pederson said.
The vote does not finalize funding — it serves as a starting point for negotiations between the county, the city, and the Blazers. Portland's city council is scheduled to vote Wednesday, August 12, on whether to approve its $120 million share. The Oregon state legislature has already pledged $365 million, contingent on both the city and county contributing their portions.
The meeting was contentious. Commissioner Meghan Moyer voted yes while expressing frustration that no one from the Blazers had ever spoken directly with her. "I have heard — although I will say indirectly, because nobody from the Blazers has ever talked to me — that it is incredibly important to show our intent," Moyer said. The county has hired Chris Oxley, a former Blazers executive and general manager of the Rose Quarter, as its lead negotiator.
For Seattle, the county vote is a mixed signal. A functioning Portland deal reduces the pressure for a Blazers relocation — which the NBA has consistently said it does not want. But the fragility of the negotiations, and the Blazers' continued noncommittal posture under owner Tom Dundon, keeps the Pacific Northwest basketball situation in flux heading into the NBA's end-of-year expansion decision.
Portland City Council President Jamie Dunphy has blocked off all of Wednesday for the term sheet vote, a sign that the meeting may not go smoothly. Half of the council remains unimpressed with the current framework, and all appear frustrated with how Dundon has approached negotiations. The next 48 hours will be decisive.