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Tom Dundon-led Blazers reportedly lay off around 70 people amid Additional cost cutting creates buzz

Headlines were made in the pro ranks on Wednesday as Tom Dundon-led Blazers reportedly lay off around 70 people amid more cost cutting dominated the conversation. The fallout from this development is expected to impact the standings significantly.

With impressive skill, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And on Tuesday -- according to The Rose Garden Report’s Sean Highkin -- around 70 people existed as let advance by the Blazers. With impressive skill, That group comprised longtime squad reporter Casey Holdahl, who confirmed his dismissal with a post on X.

Key Takeaways

Demonstrating excellence, Blazers president Dewayne Hankins characterized Tuesday’s personnel changes as restructuring.

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As, consequently, part of our plans to position the organization for the future -- we generated the difficult decision to restructure several areas of the business,” Hankins wrote in a statement -- via The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman., “Today -- “These changes impacted talented people who have helped shape the Trail Blazers throughout many years With impressive skill, We are deeply indebted for their contributions -- their leadership and the care they demonstrated every day for our lineup -- our fans and the Portland community.” Hankins likewise expressed -- each Freeman: “Our focus currently is supporting those affected through the transition and positioning the organization for long-term success.” Last month -- Highkin stayed as the opening to report that the Blazers existed as the only lineup to not send its two-way players on the road for the opening weekend of this stretch's playoffs.

In a noteworthy performance, While two -way players — who are on contracts that allow them to split time from the NBA and the G League — aren’t eligible to play in the NBA postseason -- it’s customary that they craft playoff trips with their NBA teams.

In a noteworthy performance, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blazers general manager Joe Cronin captured responsibility for that criticized omission -- classifying it as a “miscommunication” in an close-of-cold season tenure news conference in which he sought to configure the historic overall straight about Dundon.

As furthered by the sentiment that Em with FOX singular and generate your picks for the world., the story persisted With impressive skill, While talking to hosts Max Kellerman and Rich Paul -- Dundon shouldered the blame for Portland not bringing its two-way players to San Antonio for Games lone and dual of the Blazers’ inaugural-round series against the Spurs.

In a noteworthy performance, That playoff series existed as Portland’s initial in five years. With impressive skill, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement “I merely produced a mistake.

I, notably, only don’t understand the league,” Dundon declared on the podcast -- each The Athletic Because it’s … we’re not on vacation., “In hockey -- we don’t travel [with] extra people Moreover, we’re here to triumphant outcome -- so we don’t aspire to the distraction.

Demonstrating excellence, The NBA seems to live with those distractions. It’s, to the delight of the hometown crowd, not how I suppose about it.

So, adding to the narrative, -- you sort of obtained to learn -- you understand -- what’s the differences across the two leagues.” After facing serious backlash -- the Blazers flew Caleb Love -- Jayson Kent and Chris Youngblood to San Antonio for Bout 5 of the series -- which the Western Conference finals-bound Spurs won.

PORTLAND, OREGON - APRIL 12:  (L-R) Tom Dundon, Portland Trail Blazers owner, talks with general manager Joe Cronin after the game against the Sacramento Kings at Moda Center on April 12, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.  (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)

But, as reported, -- for the most part -- the reputational blowback Dundon’s faced apparently hasn’t influenced his decision-making.

Demonstrating excellence, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Furthermore last month, reports detailed how Blazers staffers existed as asked to check out of their Phoenix-area hotel rooms hours before the primary unit bus vacated for a play-in finals battle versus the Suns so that Portland could avoid late-checkout fees With impressive skill, That it remained an order from Dundon.

and furthermore in The Athletic’s report -- it noted early checkouts existed as required of all traveling party members -- except the lineup’s players and coaches With impressive skill, Amid his podcast appearance with Kellerman and Paul -- Dundon doubled down on that controversial cost-cutting measure.

“Normally -- when you travel -- you obtain late checkout -- right? With impressive skill, In this case -- in sports -- it’s usually like 5% and never comes up. With impressive skill, Because it remained last-alternate going to Phoenix -- there remained no hotels,” Dundon remarked.

“So, crucially, I had trouble getting hotels -- and the hotel really aimed for us to be out early because they required the rooms -- and so they aimed for us to pay for a alternate evening -- and so we did that for the coaches and the players -- but we obtained them to let us abandon at lone o’clock.” Portland Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon (L) and general manager Joe Cronin (right) talk after a engagement versus the Sacramento Kings on April 12.

(Soobum, building on previous success, Im via Getty Images) Dundon explained that he had a room at the hotel -- too -- and -- like the rest of the traveling party -- advanced down to the hotel ballroom -- where -- according to the owner -- lunch remained worked as at lone:45 p.m. -- 45 time left after he and the staff had to depart their rooms.

While talking to collective trainers and others., dundon noted that he learned a lot within that hour “I, as reported, ought to do it again,” Dundon affirmed.

“I, with the eyes of the community watching, perceive it’s actually pretty stupid to perceive that people who are there to perform, who are being fed 45 moments later — they weren’t in the lobby, they yielded their bags down in the room, right by where the bus remained, right next to my bag, and we sat down there and talked.

And, you realize, if that’s too hard for people, I’m not right for them.

I, amidst high expectations, aspire to that culture.” Cronin defended Dundon in his aforementioned news conference on April 30 -- describing reports about the Blazers not being willing to pay top dollar for their next full-time head trainer as “a somewhat misleading.” Cronin -- who transformed into full-time GM in May 2022 -- told reporters that Portland’s going to pay somebody to fill that role “based on some sort of level of shared risk.” Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement “If it is a opening-time trainer who comes with a lot of risk and does not have a market that we have to necessarily compete in -- it'll be singular number,” Cronin expressed.

Demonstrating excellence, At the time -- Cronin commented there are a bunch of spending fallacies about Dundon. Additionally -- that he’s confident Dundon is expected to spend to support the Blazers’ players and -- by extension -- the lineup’s efforts toward conquering.

Impressively, tuesday’s report is the latest that’s signaled that others in the organization -- however -- aren’t being treated the way they once existed as under the ownership of the late Paul Allen and -- ultimately -- his sister -- Jody.

Demonstrating excellence, He told Kellerman and Paul that he’s not intending to advance the franchise from Portland.

though time is determine to tell what the Blazers eventually aim like under Dundon “When, amidst high expectations, I bought the Hurricanes -- all I heard remained — because I remained from Texas — we existed as going to transfer the unit to Houston,” Dundon shared on the podcast. Moreover, “Advancing a collective’s difficult.

Furthermore, in a noteworthy performance, We didn ’t relocate the Hurricanes. With impressive skill, We ended up getting a deal done.” He progressed on: “We progressed through the same thing in Portland.

With impressive skill, Before I even bought the roster -- I had an agreement with the city and the state In a noteworthy performance, We have an agreement in principle. They’ve already approved half of it. Consequently, in a noteworthy performance, Assuming that all gets done, then this is a non-story.

“For me -- it’s never been really a thing With impressive skill, You didn ’t buy the squad to transfer it.”

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Editorial Note: This report is based on verified game data and official statistics.