Blazers Among Few Teams Still Without G League Affiliate

The Portland Trail Blazers are one of three teams (along with the Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans) that don’t have their own G League team. When asked about the reluctance to start their own affiliate, Marc Stein of the New York Times pointed out the potential monetary hang-up involved:

In the Blazers’ case, especially, it’s surprising given the historically free-spending ways of the Portland owner Paul Allen.

The cost of starting a new G League franchise, according to the latest estimates I’ve received, is in the $10 million range. That’s not cost-prohibitive for an owner like Allen, but word is that Portland had a variety of issues with its Idaho experience in the development league and has questioned the value of such an investment. The Blazers, in recent years, have clearly been content without their own affiliate.

A report from April stated that the Blazers were looking at Beaverton as a G League home, but nothing has come forth since. A Vancouver, BC, sports anchor claimed in July that there were strong chances of Portland putting their G League team there, but there has been no word on that either.