Blazers lay off about 70 employees, including team reporter

The changes under new Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon appear to be hitting harder than initially reported.

According to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report, the Blazers laid off roughly 70 employees from the organization’s business operations department Monday.

Among those reportedly affected was longtime Blazers.com reporter Casey Holdahl, who confirmed on social media that he had been let go.

Blazers president of business operations Dewayne Hankins later released a statement acknowledging the cuts.

“Today, as part of our plans to position the organization for the future, we made the difficult decision to restructure several areas of the business,” Hankins said.

He added that the organization remains focused on supporting affected employees while “positioning the organization for long-term success.”

Still, this feels like part of a much larger philosophical shift.

Dundon addressed criticism surrounding the Blazers’ spending approach during a podcast appearance last week, pushing back on accusations that he’s simply being cheap.

“I just don’t want to waste money. I want to invest it,” Dundon said.

The owner repeatedly emphasized that he has no problem spending aggressively on players and performance-related resources if it helps the team win.

“I’ll have many masseuses. I’ll have the best food. We’re going to take care of the players,” Dundon said.

Where Dundon appears far less interested in spending? The business side.

He pointed out that Portland’s business operations reportedly cost roughly $100 million more annually than those of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, another franchise he owns.

“The Hurricanes, since I bought the team, have the first or second-best record in the league,” Dundon said. “So, I’m just not going to waste $100 million.”