The Portland Trail Blazers announced on Thursday that they have exercised the 2027-28 team options on young centers Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen. The team put out the following release: Clingan has appeared in 147 games (117 starts) for Portland, averaging 9.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 23.7 minutes per game. A 2026 NBA Rising Stars selection, Clingan is coming off a 2025-26 season in which he averaged 12.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. As a second-year player, he led the NBA in offensive rebounds per game (4.5) and contested shots/game (13.4) while ranking second in second chance points per game (4.4), third in total rebounds per game (11.6) and fifth in blocks per game (1.7). Clingan also grabbed a franchise record 347 offensive rebounds in 2025-26—second most offensive rebounds in a season over the past five seasons in the NBA. Competing in his second season with Portland after being selected in the 2025 NBA Draft, Yang is averaging 2.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 7.1 minutes per game across 44 contests (one start). The Zibo, China, native also competed in 19 games (all starts) with the G League’s Rip City Remix in 2025-26, averaging 16.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 blocks in 30.8 minutes per game. The Trail Blazers will be back in action tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies as they look to improve on to 4-0 on the season. Tipoff is at 7pm. You can watch on KUNP/Blazersvision, or listen live on Rip City Radio 620.

The Trail Blazers took their first loss of the season last night, falling to the Memphis Grizzlies, 124-103. Unfortunately, the game itself wasn't the team's only loss of the night. During the game, start point guard Ja Morant excited early with a left hamstring injury. While we hoped for the best, the injury news is not great. The team announced early Friday that Morant sustained a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in four weeks. In Thursday's contest against Memphis, Morant's first game against his former team, he left with 14 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds in 23 minutes of action. Morant holds averaged of 15.8 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds through four games this season.

The Trail Blazers have finally found their new television play-by-play voice, and they didn't have to look very far to find him. According to Joe Freeman of the Oregonian, the Trail Blazers will lean on radio voice Travis Demers to assume play-by-play duties for the TV broadcast this season. The move, hopefully, puts an end to a rocky month of October for Portland. It was on October 1st that the Trail Blazers announced they had hired young up and coming broadcaster Braiden Bell to replace the legendary Kevin Calabro on the mic. The hire was met with excitement, but just hours after he was hired the excitement was gone. After some problematic social media posts surfaced, the Trail Blazers announced they were no longer moving forward with the Bell hire. At the time, the Blazers were just three weeks away from their season opener and found themselves searching for a television voice once again. The scramble to find the new-new television voice didn't have to run far. The team just had to run up the stairs to the radio booth at the top of Section 113. However, there are still questions as to whether Demers will be the long-term answer. Demers was called in on short notice to do the television play-by-play for the preseason game against the Warriors, and he impressed enough during that one game to get a chance moving forward — but he will still have to earn the seat in the long term. According to Freeman, Demers will take over on a "trial basis." Freeman notes that Blazers will continue to keep their options open and will evaluate the broadcast all season long. The team may use other voices during the season — not unlike when they had fill-ins for Kevin Calabro over the last few seasons — allowing the team to "try out other personalities and give Demers a break" according to Freeman. Demers has been the radio voice for the Trail Blazers for the past seven seasons, taking over for legendary fan-favorite Brian Wheeler, so, needless to say, Demers is no stranger to taking over the seat left by a hall of fame voice. Demers is well established in Portland, has a long history on the mic, and will quickly find his footing on the TV side of things. For those used to listening to Demers on Rip City Radio, you might just say this hire is a "Rip City Winner." Trail Blazers fans will get a chance to hear Demers on the TV broadcast when the team opens the season on Oct.21st when they play host to the Phoenix Suns.

One preseason game down, three to go! The regular season is just a little more than a week away, and we're here to talk about how we feel. Keith and Dave take to the mic to breakdown what they saw vs Golden State and look forward to the regular season, on this episode of The Trailcasters. Enjoy!

Hi Adam, Parasocial relationships are weird, so I’ll just talk to you like a person, not a distant power broker. I grew up in the Portland area loving the Trail Blazers. Tom Dundon’s ownership group is driving a wedge between our city and our team, and I’m asking you to help fix it. This letter draws on the reporting linked below, especially Jason Quick’s “Tom Dundon’s Blazers can’t avoid drama. Instead, it’s all about Dundon.” If you can, subscribe to The Athletic and read it there. Here’s the Dundon era so far, from a fan’s seat. A pattern, not a misstep After four lost seasons, a season that opened with a 6 a.m. FBI raid still gave us something to cheer about. A young core, an interim coach thrown to the fire, a Play-In win, the franchise's first playoff trip since 2021. Then Dundon got the keys, and every chapter became a story about his wallet: During the Play-In, team support staff were made to check out of their Phoenix hotel early to avoid late fees. For the playoff series in San Antonio, the team left its two-way players at home. Interim coach Tiago Splitter was lowballed and left for Chicago, after ownership openly interviewed his replacement mid-season. New head coach Micah Nori was a smart hire, then handed a one-year deal reportedly among the league's lowest salaries. Thank you, JB Bickerstaff, for calling it out. Roughly 70 employees were laid off, and the broadcast booth was gutted, including Michael Holton, Neil Everett, Tom Haberstroh and our own Jamie Hudson. Kevin Calabro, the TV voice since 2016, left after an offer he called "subprime." He now calls Timberwolves games. Then the team named 29-year-old Braiden Bell its new TV voice and fired him within hours, after a local reporter found offensive social media posts he wrote at 15. The team's own statement admitted, "We did not meet our own bar." Nobody is defending those posts. But when a local TV station out-vets your front office in one afternoon, that's what hollowing out your staff, or running on hubris, gets you. Even the ownership group's promises about the broadcast didn't last the week. On Monday, team president Dewayne Hankins promised fans no drop in broadcast quality. By Thursday, the team had announced Bell at noon, promoted a Fan Fest meet-and-greet, and pulled it all by evening. Brooke Olzendam now carries every studio segment alone, and radio voice Travis Demers will call road games off a monitor at reduced pay. It's the Carolina playbook, where Dundon scrapped the Hurricanes' radio call for a TV simulcast. All this before an Oct. 21 opener with Ja Morant's Portland debut and Damian Lillard's return, the kind of night this franchise used to staff like it mattered. The "first-class" fallacy The state, city and county have agreed in principle to put $586 million in public money into renovating the Moda Center. Dundon pitched a simple trade: public funds for a 20-year lease. Then came the add-ons: tax breaks, no rent, and an endless list of other assurances. Team reps are even trashing Portland’s business climate, as if Dundon were a bizarro capitalist Robin Hood teaching other businesses to squeeze a few more drops of blood out of our city. Now the talks are stuck on a "first-class standard" clause in the team's bridge agreement, which requires the Blazers to keep the city-owned building in top shape. It’s entirely possible I’m being obtuse and there is some reason this is an anchor issue for Dundon. If that’s the case, an articulation of said reason would be nice for the masses to understand. Dundon has said he won't negotiate until that clause, and the threat of litigation attached to it, are removed. Here's the problem. Under Section 10.2 of the lease, the city has already agreed not to enforce that obligation. Mayor Keith Wilson has said publicly that the city has no legal path to sue the team over it. The clause only gains teeth in one scenario: the team leaves. At media day, Hankins called the clause significant, acknowledged the mayor's position, then added, "unless we move, right?" Which was a very odd admission given the exchange. I've negotiated contracts in Silicon Valley adtech. A clause that only triggers under a condition you swear will never happen costs you nothing. You only fight that hard to kill it if you're keeping that condition on the table. You can't claim total commitment to Portland while insisting the one clause that matters only if you leave has to go. Squeezing a city that's still getting back up Portland is still climbing out of the pandemic. Downtown has spent years fighting empty storefronts, lost foot traffic and a reputation it didn't fully earn. Game nights at the Moda Center are one of the few things that reliably fill the trains, the bars and the restaurants on that side of the river. Finding $586 million in public money in today's Oregon economy is a monumental lift. Local leaders staked their political futures on it anyway. Ownership’s response: ask for more, slow the talks, and treat a good-faith partner like an adversary. The relocation threat is hollow. Moving is expensive, and Quick’s reporting found nowhere obvious to go. But a bluff doesn't have to be credible to do damage. It just has to scare a city that can't afford to lose its anchor tenant. That's not an owner who sees a community. That's an owner who sees a line item. What I'm asking the league to do Shortly after the sale, a team employee told Quick that Dundon didn't see himself as buying the Portland Trail Blazers. He saw himself buying one-thirtieth of the NBA. If that's true, then this is your business too. Portland is the league's only foothold in the Pacific Northwest since the SuperSonics left Seattle in 2008. Expansion may finally right that wrong in Seattle. Let’s not repeat it in Portland. Three asks: Take relocation off the table, publicly. The Board of Governors has to approve any move. Say plainly that the league will not entertain one while a good-faith public deal is on the table. That single sentence drains the leverage out of the "first-class" standoff. No new owner should walk in and destabilize a franchise in its 57th season. Put the league's weight behind closing the Moda Center lease. Public money of this size should buy a long-term commitment with standard non-relocation protections. Push both sides to the table and keep them there. Have the difficult conversation only an owner's peers can have. Owning a franchise comes with civic obligations. Remind this ownership group that the brand they bought, and the 1/30th they value, was built by the fans they are alienating. Rip City did its part Portland has been loyal through bad seasons, bad breaks and a pandemic that hit this city harder than most. It just offered more than half a billion dollars to keep this team home. That is the definition of a partner. This city sold out 814 straight games from 1977 to 1995, then the longest streak in American pro sports. Rip City doesn't need a lecture on commitment. We aren't asking for a savior or a superteam. We're asking for an owner who acts like he wants to be here, and for a league that makes sure he does. Let us talk about Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan and Damian Lillard again, instead of hotel late fees and lease clauses. Commissioner, the Trail Blazers belong in Portland like the Knicks belong in New York. Please make sure everyone running this league understands that. Respectfully, Dave Myers Beaverton-raised, Blazers podcaster, Rip City for life

Braiden Bell's time behind the mic for the Portland Trail Blazers ended before it ever had a chance to truly begin. On Thursday afternoon the team announced the hire of Bell. A young up and comer tasked with replacing the legendary Kevin Calabro. The announcement was met with excitement. Bell was seen engaging with fans on social media and was looking forward to his start in PDX. Then, it all came crashing down. Hours after the hire was announced, the plug was pulled. Local news station KGW unearthed social media posts that Bell posted when he was a teenager, posts which the team would later call "racists, sexist and harmful." The Blazers announced the hire at noon. At 8:11pm, just eight-hours later, they had to post that they were no longer moving forward with the hire. The team released the following statement via social media: The Portland Trail Blazers have zero tolerance for racist, sexist, or harmful comments. Social media posts made by our recently announced play-by-play broadcaster are in clear violation of team and league policies, as well as our values and expectations. Therefore, we will not be moving forward with this broadcaster," The play-by-play role carries a long legacy of excellence, on the broadcast and in character, and we hold that standard without exception. We did not meet our own bar in this process, and for that we apologize to Blazers fans and to Rip City. We believe strongly that everyone who is a part of Rip City should feel welcome and safe and we will make sure that our new broadcaster reflects these values. We will do better. The Trail Blazers are now left scrambling to find a replacement for their replacement, with their first preseason game in less than a week (Wed. Oct. 7), and their regular season opener on Oct.21 fast approaching. We will update you as any new details develop.

The Trail Blazers have found their new television play-by-play voice. The team announced early Thursday that Braiden Bell has been tabbed to take over for the legendary Kevin Calabro on the mic. Bell, a graduate of Arizona State’s famed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, comes to Portland after a stint as the lead play-by-play voice for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the G-League’s Valley Suns. In the teams press release, President of Basketball Operations Dewayne Hankins said the team is “excited” to add Bell to the broadcast. Adding, “what stood out throughout this process was his energy and passion. He understands that great play-by-play is about being authentic and bringing our fans closer to the team. He’s a great fit for where we’re headed and an important voice for the next chapter of Trail Blazers basketball.” Said Bell, “Rip City, thank you for giving me the chance to call games for the best fans in the league... As we get to know each other, my goal is to connect you with the action on the court. My guarantee to you is that you’ll be able to hear my excitement and love for this game night in and night out. I’m truly honored to join this amazing community.” Longtime game day voices Lamar Hurd and Brooke Olzendam remain and will join Bell on the television broadcast, while Travis Demers will enter his eight season as the radio voice of the Trail Blazers. The team also added a few broadcast notes in their press release. Including: The Trail Blazers and KATU will continue to deliver the Rip City Television Network across Oregon and Washington. All non-national exclusive Trail Blazers games will air for free via over-the-air television. All non-national exclusive games will also continue to be broadcast on BlazerVision. iHeartMedia Portland’s Rip City Radio 620 AM will continue providing pre-game and post-game coverage, game broadcasts, and ancillary content throughout the year. Rip City Radio enters its 14th season as the team’s flagship station. You have your first chance to see Bell and the new look Blazers this Saturday, Oct.4, at the annual Fan Fest event.

After 18 seasons in the NBA, former Trail Blazers small forward Nic Batum is hanging up his basketball shoes. The long-time NBA veteran made the announcement via a video posted on his X account on Monday morning. Batum was drafted 25th overall by the Houston Rockets in 2008, but as part of a 3-team deal on draft night he was traded to Portland. He stared his career on the bench, but that was short lived. He was inserted into the starting lineup in just the fourth game of his career, and he never looked back — becoming a quickly rising fan-favorite. He was a menace on defense and his basketball IQ led to many a highlight play. Perhaps none more memorable than the incredible lob he received from Andre Miller to beat the Spurs in 2011. Batum went on to play seven seasons with the Trail Blazers, averaging 11.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. Following his time in Portland, Batum would go on to play for the Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, and Philadelphia 76ers. Batum leaves the NBA having averaged 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists over 1,205 regular season games — 481 with the Trail Blazers.

Training camp starting can only mean one thing — MEDIA DAY! On Monday, media members gathered at Moda Center to meet and ask questions of the 2006-2027 Portland Trail Blazers. A long day, with plenty of smiles. Media were happy to be back on the beat, and it was clear the players were ready to hit the court and get training camp rolling. How will the Blazers look this season? What are the early thoughts on new additions like head coach Micha Nori and superstar Ja Morant? What is the latest on the arena negotiations? The Trail Blazers answered all those questions, and them some. If you missed any of it, don't worry! We got you covered. Rose City Central was on the scene to capture it all. Below, you will all the videos from Media Day! JA MORANT DAMIAN LILLARD DENI AVDIJA TOUMANI CAMARA DONOVAN CLINGAN SCOOT HENDERSON JRUE HOLIDAY ROBERT WILLIAMS III SHAEDON SHARPE COACH NORI JOE CRONIN DEWAYNE HANKINS

The Trail Blazers season is so close, we can taste it! The annual media day event is September 28, while the ever exciting Fan Fast is October 4! That's not all though, because on October 7 we get our first of four preseason games, as the Blazers welcome the Golden State Warriors to Moda Center! Game 1 of 82 - October 21 vs the Suns. So, with Blazers basketball right around the corner, what are you looking forward to most? Well, Chris Burkhardt let's us know what he is looking forward to most, with the latest episode of The 19:77 Podcast.

A few days ago we released a short video with the Rose City Central crew as a chance to get to know the names and faces behind the project. You can watch that video here. Unfortunatley we were missing a member at the time. The one and only, Jamie Hudson! Jamie had some travel issues that evening and had to postpone, but now, back with her boots on the ground in PDX, she is carving out the time! So, we sat down with the host of The Scoop to talk about her time as a reporter, what she has learned on her journey, and most importanly what fans can expect with the latest incarnation of The Scoop. Enjoy.

HELLLLLOOOO RIP CITY! Now that we have announced our return, we better get to work! For the first time since December of 2023, Keith and the crew dusted off the mics and got a new episode dropped! Episode 229, and in this new era, Episode 1 as a member of the Rose City Central family! Topics include: The story behind the Trailcasters A trip down memory lane: How Keith and Dave became fans A look at the roster and early season predictions and more!!! Enjoy.