With the announced impending sale of the Portland Trail Blazers, the question becomes who will take over the franchise that has called the Rose City home since 1970.

The estate of Paul Allen, who owned the Blazers for decades before his death in 2018, is currently the sole owner of the team. The team is currently led by Allen’s sister Jody Allen. The estate said they expect the sale to continue into the 2025-2026 NBA season, leaving the earliest an expected sale might happen for fall of 2026.

Allen originally purchased the Blazers for $70 million back in 1988. According to Forbes, the Blazers are valued at $3.5 billion today.

That price tag doesn’t leave many options for sole ownership, so fans are likely to see some kind of group or coalition take over majority ownership and bring in minority stakeholders as well. It’s been a common trend among sports ownership in the 21st century.

In March, it was reported that the Boston Celtics majority ownership will be sold for $6.1 billion to an ownership group led by Bill Chisholm. A better estimation for Portland comes from 2023 when Mat Ishbia and his group purchased a majority ownership of the Phoenix Suns for $4 billion.

One potential owner we know won’t come calling is RAJ Sports, the group which purchased the Portland Thorns and the as-yet-unnamed Portland WNBA team last year. That group is currently a co-owner of the Sacramento Kings, and under NBA rules it is ineligible from purchasing the Blazers in any capacity unless it sells off its share of the Kings.

With that in mind, we take a look at some possible names who could headline ownership groups, or in some cases take over fully if they have enough cash.

1. Phil Knight

The most obvious choice is the Nike co-founder and Cleveland High School graduate in Knight. Forbes estimates his net worth at $29.2 billion.

Knight and Nike are involved in pretty much anything that has to deal with the sports world, but he doesn’t have professional sports team ownership on his resume.

Knight reportedly made an offer to buy the Blazers in 2022 for $2 billion, a number that is well below the $3.5 billion estimation from Forbes.

An extra $1.5 billion is likely nothing for Knight, but at age 87, it’s fair to wonder whether the shoe dog would want to purchase the team now given his age.

2. Jeff Bezos

The Amazon co-founder has been linked to sports ownership over the years, most recently having his name in the race for the Boston Celtics sale.

Bezos was also linked to the sale of the Washington Commanders in the NFL back in 2023 and has long been a potential option for the Seattle Seahawks, who are also owned by the Allen estate.

If the long-term goal for Bezos is to get ownership of the Seahawks in his beloved Seattle, doing business now to buy the Blazers might be a good step toward sweetening up to Jody Allen and crew.

Or it’s possible the Amazon billionaire wants to own a team regardless of location and being in the Pacific Northwest is an added bonus with the Blazers.

3. Dan Friedkin/The Friedkin Group

There were reportedly four finalists for the Boston Celtics sale before the group led by Chisholm ultimately won out. Naturally, it makes sense that the runners-up in that bid could hop onto the sale for the Blazers.

Dan Friedkin is the owner and CEO of the Friedkin Group, a private holding company based in Texas. Friedkin is estimated to be worth $7.7 billion by Forbes.

Dan Friedkin has dipped his toes into sports ownership already as the owner and chairman of Premier League soccer club Everton and is the owner and president of Italian soccer club Roma.

If Friedkin is looking to get into the U.S. sports business, Portland might be a good option as the Blazers sit 24th in Forbes estimated value among NBA teams and pose as an easier bar to clear than the legendary Celtics franchise.

4. Larry Ellison

The co-founder of Oracle is estimated to be the fourth wealthiest person in the world, yet he’s attempted to buy a professional sports team three times in the past and has never been able to win the bid.

That could change with Portland if Ellison can put together the right package. He reportedly has interest according to a 2022 report from John Canzano.

Like Knight though, at age 80, it might not be a long ownership for Ellison if he buys now, which could sway his interest.

5. MacKenzie Scott

With Portland’s growing investment in women’s sports with the Portland Thorns and a soon-to-be launched WNBA franchise, how fitting would it be for the Blazers to become the first NBA franchise purchased by a woman?

Scott, a co-founder of Amazon and ex-wife of Bezos, has also been linked to the Blazers in the past in the same Canzano report. Forbes estimates her net worth to be $27.3 billion.

6. Tim Boyle and/or Travis Boersma

Oregon is home to two other billionaires in Columbia Sportswear president and CEO Tim Boyle and Dutch Bros co-founder Travis Boersma.

Boyle is estimated to be worth $1.9 billion by Forbes and Boersma comes in at $4.3 billion. Boyle is from Portland and went to school at Jesuit High School, meanwhile Boersma started Dutch Bros with his brother Dane out of Grants Pass and has slowly built it into one of the biggest coffee chains in the country.

Neither could afford to purchase the Blazers outright, but given their connections to the state, they could form a local ownership group that is sure to be a hit with the fans given the majority of this list comes from outside of the state.

Even if neither becomes a majority owner, their names could be around for minority ownership roles if either is interested.