So who’s going to call Portland Trail Blazers games on TV this season? - awfulannouncing.com

Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Less AI and more AA in your search results.

The 2026-2027 NBA season begins in about two weeks, and the Portland Trail Blazers have a bit of an issue: They don’t have a TV play-by-play announcer.

The Blazers let longtime TV voice Kevin Calabro walk this offseason amid budget cuts (making him a “subprime” offer he refused before taking his talents to Minnesota).

The team spent the summer finding a replacement and appeared to have found one in Braiden Bell, a 29-year-old who previously voiced the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, the G League’s Valley Suns, and Arizona State men’s and women’s basketball. However, just hours after the initial announcement, the team switched gears after learning of several offensive social media posts he wrote as a teenager.

That whole situation is its own thing, but the self-made mess that the Trail Blazers have created leaves them without a TV play-by-play voice, and time is running out to name one.

Joe Freeman of the Oregonian laid out the team’s four potential options over the weekend.

One, the team could “completely reopen their search and consider a new batch of candidates, which seems unlikely given how little time remains in the offseason.” It stands to reason that they have a shortlist of candidates from the initial search, though many may have committed to their current roles since then, with NBA and college basketball seasons coming soon.

Freeman also noted that the team could simply offer the job to former Sacramento Kings play-by-play broadcaster Kyle Draper, who was reportedly a finalist in the initial search.

Another option would be to “add a temporary play-by-play commentator to call early-season games, freeing up more time to select a new, permanent broadcaster.” Blazers owner Tom Dundon has quickly developed a reputation for being cheap, so if he wants to just hire an up-and-coming broadcaster for pennies to fill the space, he could certainly do it.

Finally, Freeman says the team can “slide Travis Demers — the team’s radio play-by-play voice — over to television.” Demers has been with the franchise since 2019 and would provide the most seamless transition possible. However, he may not be feeling too forthcoming, as he was part of the same team cuts as Calabro this offseason and is reportedly only still calling games because iHeartRadio is paying him (and much less than he was making).

Whatever they decide, the one thing that’s undeniable is that this entire mess is the Trail Blazers’ own making, and reflects poorly on its ownership’s less-than-sterling track record so far.