Rockets' Legend Comments on Trail Blazers' Owner Following Team-Wide Mass Layoff

Clyde Drexler is an NBA legend. By every variation of the definition.

He made a combined 10 All-Star teams, with both the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets. Drexler made five All-NBA teams and finished second in the MVP race during the 1991-92 season, behind only Michael Jordan.

After winning the NBA championship during the 1993-94 season, the Rockets got off to a rough start in the following year -- the 1994-95 season. The team was 29-17 at the All-Star break and needed a spark.

It was time to finally surround Hakeem Olajuwon with yet another superstar like himself. Rockets General Manager Bob Weinhauer struck a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers for Drexler, sending Otis Thorpe, Marcelo Nicola and a first-round pick from the 1995 NBA Draft to Portland for Drexler.

The results were instant. The Rockets defended their title, winning the championship for the second consecutive season. Drexler averaged 20.5 points, seven rebounds and five assists during the postseason.

During the NBA Finals, Drexler averaged 21.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists, as the Rockets successfully defended their title against the Orlando Magic. Drexler would later play three more seasons with the Rockets, making two more All-Star teams.

Since retiring in 1998, Drexler has worn many different hats. He became director of the Big 3 in 2018. Drexler also later rejoined the franchise in a professional capacity, which made sense, as most franchises value their legends and superstars.

However, Drexler was one of the Blazers' recent widespread budget cuts from new owner Tom Dundon, who has prioritized cost efficiency and the NBA legend has spoken out about Dundon's calculus as it pertains to operational spend.

“I’ve talked to Tom once and he seemed like a nice guy. So I don’t really know him. But I know one thing. When you’re running a billion dollar industry, you can’t act like you don’t have any money."

Drexler continued.

"He bought the team for, what, $4 billion — 4.4 or something — whatever those numbers are? I think the NBA has set a standard (for) every franchise."

In total, the Blazers laid off 70 employees, including Houston Comets legend Tina Thompson.

The Blazers are seeking to hire a new head coach and it's been reported that Dundon is looking to pay roughly one million annually for Portland's next coach. Rockets assistant Ben Sullivan has already interviewed for the role.

The latest reporting is that former Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy is one of the finalists for Portland's vacancy.

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