Blazers Value Moving to Astronomic Number Ahead of Expected Sale

Jan 8, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA: Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33) celebrates with forward Deni Avdija (8) during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers' team valuation is increasing rapidly ahead of an anticipated sale.

When former team owner Paul Allen passed away in October 2018, he left the franchise (as well as the Seattle Seahawks, and several other properties, including a minority stake in the Major League Soccer club the Seattle Sounders FC) to his sister, Jody, in a trust. Jody Allen now serves as the executor of her late brother's estate, with a mandate to eventually sell off the sports franchises.

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She may have done the right thing to wait as long as she has for a sale. NBA team valuations have been skyrocketing this year. The Grousbeck family's controlling stake in the Boston Celtics is being sold to private equity billionaire William Chisholm as part of a $6.1 billion valuation, while the Buss family's ownership chunk of the Los Angeles Lakers is being sold to businessman Mark Walter as part of a $10 billion valuation.

Portland, a small-market squad (albeit in a city with no other major pro sports), will not fetch a number quite that robust any time soon. Still, considering that Paul Allen bought into the Trail Blazers for $70 million in 1988, it's looking to be quite the return on investment for the family.

Bruce Schoenfeld of The Sports Business Journal writes that, per a recent AI appraisal, the Trail Blazers are expected to fetch a bit more than $70 million when they do hit the market.

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"For what it’s worth, a recent AI assessment valued the Seahawks at $7 billion and the Blazers at close to $4 billion, a bit higher than CNBC’s recent valuations of around $6 billion and $3.5 billion," Schoenfeld writes. "But as with the Celtics and Lakers, and the Cezannes and Gauguins at Christie’s, valuations could become irrelevant when the bidding starts. It’s possible that the sale of the two teams will end up netting even more."

Last season, Portland went 36-46 and finished outside of the play-in tournament bracket. But team general manager Joe Cronin has turned around his roster considerably in the intervening months.

Cronin bought out starting center Deandre Ayton and traded down to draft rookie center Yang Hansen with the No. 16 pick, traded for six-time All-Defensive Team guard Jrue Holiday and signed free agent nine-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard, reuniting the 6-foot-2 Weber State product with the team that drafted him in 2012. Lillard is rehabilitating a torn Achilles tendon, and could miss the entire 2025-26 season.

Can the team return to the playoffs for the first time in Chauncey Billups' coaching tenure? Time will tell.

For more news and notes on the Portland Trail Blazers, visit Portland Trail Blazers on SI.