Portland mayor met with NBA commissioner in June to talk Trail Blazers

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson met with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in early June to show the city’s commitment to keeping the Trail Blazers in Rip City.

That’s according to Wilson’s quarterly calendar, which was released Tuesday.

Wilson had a half-hour call with Silver on June 4. The meeting appears on Wilson’s schedule sandwiched between a discussion about a contract with the Salvation Army to run a homeless shelter and before an annual luncheon for the city’s chamber of commerce.

The meeting occurred less than a month after Paul Allen’s estate announced the Trail Blazers were for sale.

The calendar shows that Wilson was discussing the Blazers’ importance to the city nearly two months before he and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed a letter to Silver touting the city and state’s commitment to the franchise and to renovate the publicly-owned Moda Center.

“Yes, the Mayor had a warm and productive meeting with NBA Commissioner to reaffirm Portland’s commitment to keeping the Trail Blazers in Portland back in June,” said Cody Bowman, a spokesperson for the mayor.

In an email, Bowman said the mayor has “been working closely” with the franchise’s leaders as the sales process unfolds. “The City is committed to working collaboratively across jurisdictions to ensure the Trail Blazers remain a cornerstone of Portland’s cultural and economic landscape.”

Related: Oregon governor and Portland mayor agree: Rip City forever

The Trail Blazers are one of 30 NBA franchises and sales prices have soared in recent years when franchises are up for sale. The Blazers have a five-year lease at the Moda Center that ends in 2030, with an option for a five-year extension, making them potentially portable if a new owner wants to relocate the franchise.

Silver addressed the Trail Blazers’ sale during a July 15 press conference in Las Vegas following an annual meeting of the NBA Board of Governors.

“It’s the league’s preference that that team remain in Portland,” the commissioner said in response to a question from Sean Highkin with the Portland-based Rose Garden Report website. “We’ve had great success in Portland over the years.”

The commissioner noted that one major factor in the Trail Blazers sale is that “the city of Portland likely needs a new arena,” which he said would be part of the challenge for any new owner.

Related: The Portland Trail Blazers are up for sale. Here’s what to know

Silver did not elaborate on whether wholesale renovations to the Moda Center would suffice, or whether a new arena altogether was a necessity. The Moda Center is one of the oldest arenas in the NBA that has not already undergone major renovations.

A group of former Blazers’ players, executives, and civic business leaders have recently launched Rip City Forever, a group aimed at keeping the Blazers’ firmly in Portland. The group, which appeared on OPB’s “Think Out Loud" this week, is calling on city and state leaders to renovate the Moda Center or find a better alternative.

“For example, replacing the Moda Center with a new arena at the Lloyd Center or another central city location could not only secure the Blazer’s future in Portland, but would revitalize downtown and create even greater opportunities for the future of the Albina neighborhood and Albina Vision Trust — the largest restorative redevelopment effort ever undertaken in the United States,” they wrote.

Related: Rip City Forever says full court press is needed to keep the Blazers in Portland

In their July 30 letter, Wilson and Kotek staked their claim to the Moda Center as the best location, saying they “fully support renovating the Moda Center to become a point of pride for the Blazers and for our city. We are prepared to explore the public-private partnerships needed to make it happen.”

According to the mayor’s office, the city is planning to contribute roughly $4 million toward a project to install new videoboards at the arena.

OPB’s Alex Zielinski contributed reporting.