Jody Allen needs to either sell or buy into the Portland Trail Blazers

Jody Allen has been rather ambiguous about the current status of the Portland Trail Blazers franchise and whether or not the team is truly for sale.

Allen is the brother of the team’s late former owner, Paul Allen, who passed away in 2018. Jody was named executor and trustee of her brother’s estate. 750 The Game’s John Canzano reported back in May that the Blazers, along with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks which Allen also owned, have to be sold:

"Those familiar with the details of the Paul G. Allen Trust tell me there isn’t a lot of wiggle room for trustee, Jody Allen. The trust was established in 1993 and includes billions in assets, including the NBA’s Trail Blazers and NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.“Paul directed that the trust be liquidated upon his death and the assets used to fund his passion projects,” a source said. “None of this is up in the air. The instructions are clear: The sports franchises and everything in the trust must be sold.”"

Earlier this month, Nike Founder Phil Knight, along with Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Alan Smolimisky, put in an offer of more than $2 billion in an attempt to purchase the Blazers but were reportedly rejected by the Allen trust.

Jody Allen needs to either sell or buy into the Portland Trail Blazers

Haven’t we heard this before? Back in 2006, Allen looked into selling the team and told the Oregonian that he had come to terms with potentially having to offload the Blazers.

Allen even filed the Rose Garden and the Oregon Arena Corporation for bankruptcy in 2004. A group led by former Blazer Terry Porter tried to find potential investors in an attempt to purchase the team and arena. Other interested parties made bids. Ultimately, however, Allen apparently had a change of heart, took the team off of the market, and in February 2007, announced an intent to repurchase the arena from lenders.

If Jody Allen truly intends on keeping the team longer, as opposed to just holding out for a bigger bid from Knight and co., then she needs to show her commitment to this franchise and honor her late brother’s memory properly. She needs to show she is committed to winning by allowing General Manager Joe Cronin to go and spend the necessary money to sign, trade, or whatever it takes for Portland to be a winning competitive team.

She and the parent company, Vulcan Inc., need to make improvements to the Moda Center to make sure it is a viable and sustainable arena now and in the future. Allen needs to show the fans she will do everything she can to keep them happy and excited to attend games by matching their support. If this is too much, perhaps it is time for her to sell to someone more willing and committed; someone like Phil Knight.