Yang Hansen changes hands! The Trail Blazers are about to take off!

Early this morning, Shams's Twitter directly woke up the NBA circle: Tom Dunton, the owner of the NHL Carolina Hurricanes, has bought the Portland Trail Blazers, with a total transaction price of US$4.25 billion, paid in two installments. As soon as the news came out, the first thing in the group was not the fans, but the accountant - someone just passed the bill and said, "If Paul Allen is still there, he can wake up in his dreams." In 1988, Allen used $70 million to carry the Trail Blazers home. 37 years have passed, and the price has increased by more than 60 times.

This account sounds like a cool article, but it is actually very realistic to think about it carefully: how much money is the NBA broadcasting contract a year at that time? Now only one copyright can support half of the team.

Not to mention that although the Portland market is not big, it is a group of loyalists. The stadium attendance rate has been more than 90% all year round. In addition, the league's salary cap has risen in the past two years, and it is not surprising that the team's valuation has risen with it.

What really makes the Trail Blazers worth this price is the foundation left by Paul Allen.

Rose Garden Arena was built by him who paid more than 200 million US dollars back then, and today it is still the first tier of the league's hardware; the youth training, data analysis, and medical teams were all made by him according to Silicon Valley standards.

So although the record is silent, the financial statements are good every year, which is also the fundamental reason why Dunton is willing to spend 4.25 billion - he bought not only a team, but a set of money-making machines that have already run smoothly.

Speaking of Dundon, many people's first reaction is "Who is this guy?"

To put it simply, he is a Texas native who made his fortune by finance. In 2018, he bought the NHL Hurricanes for 425 million yuan. In five years, he brought a countdown to the ice hockey team into the playoffs, and renovated the stadium and signed a new broadcast contract. After counting, the team's market value doubled.

This time he brought Mark Zal of Blue Owls Capital and local tyrant Hill Thiel into the court, clearly telling Portland fans: We don’t move, we have to spend time keeping the team at your doorstep.

What do fans fear the most? The most fear is that the team will go to Seattle or Las Vegas when they wake up.

Dunton's team immediately spoke about "staying in the city", which was actually to appease the market and stabilize sponsors and season ticket holders. You know, Portland has a small city but deep feelings. Fans can call a stadium a library and also call a new boss a hot search.

Dunton knew in his heart that only by retaining people's hearts could he slowly earn back 4.25 billion.

But the story is not over yet.

The Trail Blazers are now holding a Chinese card in their hands - this year's rookie Yang Hansen. The young man was selected and before he could play a formal game, the boss changed, and the one who had been unspoken. During the 2019 Montreal Open, Dungton was revealed to be a joke about Asians. After the dark history was dug out, fans were instantly infuriated. Some people are worried that Yang Hansen will be hidden before he even makes the stage, while others are worried that the door to the Chinese market will be closed. In fact, there is no need. The NBA has always been a business world. Who can’t get along with the money?

As long as Xiao Yang is successful, Dengton is more willing to give him the ball, after all, anyone wants to take a bite of the traffic in the Chinese market.

Let's talk about the Allen family.

After Paul Allen's death, his sister Jody kept her will and cashed out her sports assets little by little according to her brother's wishes. In 2022, someone bid 2 billion to buy the Trail Blazers, but she didn't nod; until this summer, the sky-high transactions of Celtics 6.1 billion and Lakers 10 billion were released, and the market could not be suppressed, so there was a transaction of 4.25 billion.

Now that the Trail Blazers have settled, the NFL Seattle Seahawks are left on the list of Allen's heritage, with a valuation of $6 to $7 billion. After selling this order, the 20 billion dollar legacy will be considered to be truly implemented, and most of it will be donated to charity - this is the last tenderness that Allen left to the world.

So, is it really expensive to buy Trail Blazers for 4.25 billion?

For Dundon, he bought cash flow for the next decade, the loyalty of Portland fans, and a ticket that could lead to the championship.

For Paul Allen, this deal is just the last chapter of his legendary life: from 70 million to 4.25 billion, he allowed a team, a city, and a group of fans to witness what the power of time is.