The Portland Trail Blazers are currently up for sale by the estate of Paul Allen, who owned the team until his death in 2018. The sale process is expected to continue into the 2025-2026 NBA season, with the team valued around $3.5 billion and potentially selling for $4 to $5 billion in an auction

. Several potential buyers have been identified:

• Phil Knight , co-founder of Nike and Oregon native, is considered the most obvious and likely buyer. He has previously made a $2 billion bid in 2022 and has strong ties to Portland and the basketball community. Knight has the financial means, with a net worth of about $33 billion, and a legacy connection to the area, making him a favored candidate to keep the team in Portland

• Jeff Bezos , Amazon founder, is also mentioned as a possible bidder due to his wealth and interest in sports ownership, although he has not shown explicit interest in basketball teams recently

• Dan Friedkin , owner of Premier League club Everton and Italian club Roma, is another potential bidder. He is worth about $7.7 billion and might be interested in expanding into U.S. sports franchises

• Larry Ellison , Oracle co-founder and one of the richest people globally, has tried to buy sports teams before and reportedly has some interest in the Blazers

Phil Knight has confirmed he will not bid this time, but his previous interest and strong local ties make him the leading candidate if he changes his mind or leads a group. Other bidders are likely to be wealthy individuals or investment groups from outside Oregon due to the high valuation and limited local buyers

. In summary, the next owner will likely be a billionaire or consortium with deep pockets, with Phil Knight being the most obvious and favored candidate to buy the Blazers and keep the team in Portland. However, the final sale will depend on the auction process and NBA approval