Phil Knight wants to buy the Trail Blazers. Will it happen and what does it mean?

Nike founder Phil Knight and Dodger's partial owner Alan Smolinisky made an offer to buy the Portland Trail Blazers, according to multiple reports.

The offer is reportedly north of $2 billion and Knight and Smolinisky have already been in contact with the team and with the league office as they pursue purchasing the franchise from the Allen Estate. It's an offer in line with a recent valuation of the franchise by Forbes. The Blazers are headed for new ownership.

Unless they aren't. The team issued a statement saying that while Knight did indeed make an offer to buy the team that the franchise is not for sale. While that may be the case all signs point it being public relations nonsense as all indications are that a sale is coming in the near future.

New ownership whether it's Knight/Smolinisky or any other is almost certainly good news for the Blazers. Ownership is a major competitive advantage in the NBA, particularly for the non-glamour markets. Portland's chances of being a truly competitive team depend largely on a new ownership group that is committed to spending what it takes to win in the NBA.

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