Senate Republican Leader Daniel Bonham (R-District 26) clearly loves the Portland Trail Blazers, but he wasn’t too thrilled with the team’s recent trade ahead of Wednesday night’s NBA draft.
The Oregon Senate unanimously approved HCR 40, a resolution recognizing the importance of the Portland Trail Blazers to the state, on Tuesday.
Bonham (R-District 26) presented the bill, proposed to officially affirm the Blazers’ “extraordinary cultural and economic contributions” to the state and encourage the NBA and a future new owner to keep the team in Portland.
While doing so, he criticized the pending trade announced Monday, sending guard Anfernee Simons, 26, to the Boston Celtics for guard Jrue Holiday, 35.
The trade can’t be finalized until early July.
“Interestingly, last night I was watching the news and I saw that we traded Anfernee Simons,” Bonham said while stroking the side of his head. “And I thought, darn it, anyway, I’m gonna carry this bill tomorrow talking about my hometown team, wanting to stay in Oregon, and I think they just did something crazy.”
Bonham smiled and then continued, “Am I allowed to impune the general management of the Portland Trail Blazers?”
The question drew laughter. He then read from an article at BlazersEdge.com on the trade: “Normally, a team will trade for someone more talented, younger, maybe to save money or to get future draft capital. It’s rare when a team takes an L in all four of those categories.”
The Blazers traded Simons, who spent seven seasons in Rip City, and two second-round picks for the much older Holiday, a two-time All-Star, who, in theory, could make the team better, given his defensive prowess.
However, Simons has one year remaining on his contract worth $27.6 million, while Holiday is owed $104 million over the next three seasons.
Bonham moved on from his criticism of the trade to point out that such fan emotions fuel fans. “But this is what makes being a fan great, isn’t it? We get to harken back to the days of Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter and ‘Mercy, Mercy Jerome Kersey.’”
Bonham continued on from there, talking about the 1977 championship team, the team’s two runs to the finals in the early 1990s, former superstar Damian Lillard and how much the franchise unites fans.
“Think of how much we argue,” he said. “Think of how much we disagree. But if we all went to a Portland Trailblazer game, we’d be drinking our sodas, eating our popcorn, cheering on the red and black. Right? It’s unifying.”
Bonham concluded by selling the bill.
“It’s going to be a challenging season ahead. I’m looking forward to the draft,” he said. “But most of all, I’m looking forward to keeping the Portland Trail Blazers here in Oregon. If we can send this message to the world, we love our Trail Blazers and we want them here, I think it’s worth our vote. Please join me in supporting HR40.”
The Blazers have the No. 11 pick in the draft, which starts at 5 p.m. and can be watched on ESPN.
The Paul Allen estate announced last month that the Blazers were for sale and that the process could extend into next season. Allen died in 2018 at age 65 from complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. His sister, Jody Allen, has acted as the franchise chair and is the trustee of the Paul G. Allen trust.
Franchise relocation is not expected, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver has made it clear that he’s firmly against it. However, it’s not altogether impossible for a new owner to seek to move the team.
Oregon House Majority Leader Ben Bowman (D-Tigard), a bill sponsor, told The Oregonian/OregonLive last week that he isn’t overly concerned that the team will relocate. However, he said the state should demonstrate that Oregon’s government values and supports the franchise that has operated in Portland since 1970.
The resolution included a 2024 economic impact study that credited the Blazers for producing $453 million of the $670 million generated by activity in the Rose Quarter.
Sen. Ron Wyden issued an open letter to NBA commissioner Adam Silver last month, making the same request.