Braiden Bell’s attorney says Blazers firing could cost them ‘a boatload of money’

Braiden Bell’s attorney still wants the Trail Blazers to give him the broadcast job. He also has a message about what could happen if they don’t.

Speaking with Craig Carton of OutKick, Arnie Herz said reinstatement remains his priority after Portland hired Bell as its television play-by-play announcer, then fired him hours later over offensive social media posts he wrote as a teenager.

“My first goal, my second goal, my third goal is to get him his job back, so that everyone wins,” Herz said. “To me, 29 years old, getting his first NBA job is gonna be very valuable for him.”

Herz then raised the prospect of a costly dispute. He argued that losing the opportunity could damage Bell’s career and that the Blazers would face expenses whether they brought him back or hired someone else.

“The damages far exceed what they would’ve paid him,” Herz said. “This could have career implications.”

He added: “Either way this is costing them a boatload of money. So they should just go ahead and hire him, and avoid the damages to him and to his career, and to themselves.”

Those are Herz’s arguments. He did not say in the remarks provided that Bell has filed a lawsuit.

As we reported earlier⁠, Bell has asked for reinstatement and acknowledged that the posts were wrong. The Blazers stood by their decision⁠ when asked about that request, saying they had no further comment and wished him well. 

Herz plainly isn’t treating that as the end of the conversation.