Trail Blazers Cut Costs Under New Ownership: No T-Shirts for Home Playoff Games, Two-Way Players Excluded from Road Travel

During Sunday's Game 1 in San Antonio, the Portland Trail Blazers were surrounded by color-coordinated fans wearing Spurs shirts. But when the Spurs play Portland later this week, they won't see fan T-shirts draped over the backs of chairs. Trail Blazers president Dewayne Hankins said fans won't receive T-shirts -- a customary provision from ownership to fan bases across the league -- for Friday's Game 3 or Sunday's Game 4 against the Spurs at the Moda Center. The T-shirt plan is another in a series of moves drawing attention in the weeks since the Blazers were officially purchased by Tom Dundon, a Texas billionaire who also owns the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes. He bought the team for $4.25 billion. Sheel Tyle, co-owner of the Blazers, posted on X that "we are doing something else," but the team hasn't said or posted anything further on the matter. The Blazers also will not send two-way players -- those who play on an NBA and G-League contract -- to road playoff games. Those players -- Caleb Love, Chris Youngblood and Jayson Kent -- aren't eligible to play in the postseason, but teams typically allow them to travel. Love played in 49 games, averaging 20 minutes, 10.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Two-way players from the other seven playoff teams traveled to games. The cost-cutting also extends to off the court. According to Sports Illustrated, the Blazers are cracking down on extra hotel costs. SI reported last week that Blazers staff was seen in the lobby of a hotel because they'd been asked to check out of their rooms to avoid accruing any late checkout fees. The Trail Blazers have been coached by former Spurs player Tiago Splitter since Chauncey Billups' arrest in October 2025 as part of a pair of wide-ranging investigations related to illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by the Mafia. Billups has been on unpaid administrative leave since. Billups had signed a new deal in April 2025 paying him $7 million last season. It is not clear yet if another head coach will be hired or if the Blazer will hang on to Splitter.