On the way to a compromise: Portland Trail Blazers management has made a significant decision

After an especially long period of difficult negotiations, it seems that the Portland City Council and the Trail Blazers management have found a way to move to the next stage. On Friday, it was reported that a meeting took place between the parties, joined by an arena architect who explained the planned renovation.

According to reporter Wright Gazaway, the planned renovation of the Moda Center is set to be carried out with the architecture firm Populous, which until now had not been part of the discussions between the club and the Portland City Council. The meeting aimed to clarify the high renovation costs and the allocation of funds.

As part of the process, the Trail Blazers management expects that the city council, or at least the tax revenue from the residents of Portland, will contribute to paying the architecture firm. Until now, the Trail Blazers had avoided such meetings due to fears of traps set by the city council, which naturally seeks to reduce its own share of the expensive funding.

The city council is expected to hold a vote on August 12 to approve the funding package for the Moda Center renovation, which is intended to conclude this never-ending saga. So far, Multnomah County has approved $101 million in funding, sourced from a wide range of tax payments, while the state of Oregon is also expected to provide its own funding to reach the required $600 million total.

At the same time, across the NBA, discussions continue regarding how Tom Dundon's actions will affect the team's future next year. Yahoo! reported:

"Meanwhile, the new owner is cutting costs wherever possible, and in doing so is creating a rift with the community in Portland. As impressive as the team culture was on the court last season, it is hard to keep an organization whole when everything is operating in the same direction while there is turmoil in other places within it – and this could manifest itself."