The Portland Trail Blazers returned to the playoffs after four seasons, and it should have been a moment to celebrate. Instead, the new owner, Tom Dundon, who purchased the team for $4.25 billion in March 2026, has found multiple frugal ways to cut costs. This has earned him the nickname “El Cheapo” by veteran media member Bill Simmons. Even former franchise star Carmelo Anthony is not a fan of these measures, as he vented out a frustrating rant.

On his podcast, 7PM in Brooklyn, Melo had an 18-minute-long discussion. On social media, it was cut to three minutes, but the message was still potent enough. “No t-shirt. What do you mean by no t-shirt? You go to Portland. That’s Rip City. Like everybody, you’re in one color. Red T’s, black T’s, white T’s, that’s it. You don’t come into a business like that. Because you are part of an ecosystem. It ain’t you like you part of 29 other teams. Players got to be able to go to Portland. You don’t just you don’t come with the iron fist right away like that with the people who support you.

“You supposed to come in and over and did it. ‘Yeah, my team made it to the postseason. New owner. I gotta go overboard.’ It should be all types of experiences for them fans out there. You’re coming in with a nice business like here, go make this work. That’s just cheap, bro. That’s all that is. Probably have this very conservative way of of has to be of of doing business, and that’s his way. This is why I said to own a team is big boy s—. You don’t want the Billies to be looking at you like, ‘Hey now, what the f— is he doing?’ Stop shooting that little a– gun.”

Portland was the place that revitalized Carmelo Anthony‘s career as a key scorer and veteran leader. He was with Rip City from 2019 to 2021, and it’s not a place where he celebrated as a legend like New York or revered as one of their own like Denver. But still, Melo, apart from being a vital player, has now transcended to an entrepreneur and knows what the pulse of his audience is. That’s why he is upset about all the things that not only disrupt fan experience but also the camaraderie in the locker room.

Apart from no playoff t-shirts for home crowds, reports have suggested that two-way players like Caleb Love did not travel with the team for Game 1 and Game 2 of the round 1 series. In fact, some members of the staff were also kicked out of the hotel early just to avoid late fees. That’s why Carmelo Anthony called the Blazers’ new owner cheap. This comes at a time when Portland is back in the postseason hunt.

As Hall of Famer Damian Lillard, the hero, has come back home. Deni Avdija achieved his first career All-Star selection, and Scoot Henderson had his breakout offensive year. Not to forget, top draft picks Donovan Clingan and Shaedon Sharpe were already in place before Dundon took over. The team was thriving before the ownership change, and with his playoff debut for Portland, expectations from Tom Dundon were much higher. But it’s not panned out in that manner, which is why Melo is unhappy.

Carmelo Anthony is upset as the Blazers owner couldn’t sign a championship-winning coach

If you think the rant would bring a change in how Dundon works, then that’s entirely inaccurate. According to The Athletic, Dundon “doesn’t give a f—” about the cheap label and is focused on structural reorganization and removing perceived inefficiencies. His business philosophy is deeply rooted in high-risk financial services, specifically subprime auto lending, which is why the current process is a “scrappy” approach to team ownership. This even cost them signing ex-Nuggets head coach Mike Malone.

Dundon was reportedly only willing to offer around $4 million per year for the position. This was nearly half of the $8.33 million per year Malone ultimately accepted to become the head coach at the University of North Carolina (UNC). Hearing this, even Carmelo Anthony was frustrated again. “You price yourself out. Now Mike had to go to North Carolina. So you let a college give you Mike Malone more money. A championship coach. One day, maybe Hall of Fame coach, you let a university price you out of getting that.”

While the $4 million offer was not accepted, the current interim coach is not getting half of it. According to The Oregonian, Dundon is looking to set the head coaching salary at $1 million. Tiago Splitter made his case to become permanent after taking the Blazers to the postseason after a scandal-rocked start to the season. The lowest-paid coach in the league right now is Sacramento Kings’ Doug Christie, who is reportedly earning $2 million. It will be interesting if the new owner sticks by this price in the summer.