In June, Nike founder Phil Knight said he wanted to buy the Blazers, and some say despite being turned away, he's likely still interested.
Knight and a co-founder of the LA Dodgers put in an offer at more than $2 billion.
The Blazers organization said then the team wasn't for sale.
Then, on Tuesday, more than a month after the first public offer, Jody Allen released another statement on the team's status. Jody Allen is Paul Allen's sister. Paul previously owned the Blazers and the Seattle Seahawks before dying in 2018. Jody is now in charge of the franchises' futures.
In the statement, Jody Allen said, "As we’ve stated before, neither of the teams is for sale and there are no sales discussions happening."
What's odd about the statement is the timing. There's been no talk of a sales discussion since early June when Knight's offer was first published by ESPN.
Aaron Mesh, news editor at Willamette Week, is reading between the lines.
"One has to think the issuing of a statement like that has to do with negotiations that are happening behind the scenes," Mesh said.
Mesh thinks this is a sign there are offers on the table.
"I think [Knight and Allen] are negotiating over price in public via these statements 'We're not for sale,'" Mesh said. "I think that there's a very good chance, and again, this is coming from Sean Highkin, a very good analyst of the Blazers, there's a very good chance that every time Jody Allen says, 'We're not for sale,' that's an indication she's received another bid from Phil Knight, upping the bid of what he's willing to pay."
Highkin published a column on Tuesday, addressing Allen's statement and the questions that come along with it. Highkin says he's been told an offer of $3 billion would be taken more seriously.
Additionally, Mesh says his team is working on an article to be published Wednesday that highlights the role U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden is playing.
"Ron Wyden, along with being the senior U.S. senator from Oregon, also has a long-time personal relationship with Adam Silver who's the NBA commissioner," Mesh said.
Mesh says Wyden has plans to talk with Silver in the coming days about why the team's ownership should stay local.
"So, I think the result of that is you're going to see increased pressure not only from Phil Knight but also from the NBA on Jody Allen to find a price at which Phil can buy this team and the Blazers stay in Portland."
Jody Allen's full statement is below:
As chair of both the Portland Trail Blazers and the Seattle Seahawks, my long-term focus is building championship teams that our communities are proud of. Like my brother Paul, I trust and expect our leaders and coaches to build winning teams that deliver results on and off the court and field.
As we’ve stated before, neither of the teams is for sale and there are no sales discussions happening.
A time will come when that changes given Paul’s plans to dedicate the vast majority of his wealth to philanthropy, but estates of this size and complexity can take 10 to 20 years to wind down. There is no pre-ordained timeline by which the teams must be sold.
Until then, my focus – and that of our teams – is on winning.