Celtics doomsday Jayson Tatum scenario is starting to gain traction

Portland Trail Blazers new owner Tom Dundon has arrived like a bull in a china shop.

Since he became the organization's steward, there have been fiascos involving two-way players and team staffers. After impressing as their interim head coach, helping guide them to the playoffs, Tiago Splitter had to relocate to the Chicago Bulls to get the contract he had earned -- [nearly opening the door for Boston Celtics assistant coach Tyler Lashbrook to replace him].

Not far behind him, the franchise could be heading towards a departure from Portland.

Dundon wants a new arena. He's fighting for the local taxpayers to fund that. Even worse, he hasn't just been antagonistic toward local politicians in the City of Roses, but the Trail Blazers have been uncooperative.

"It's getting worse by the day. The rhetoric between the politicians and the Trail Blazers is deteriorating," shared Brian Windhorst on a recent edition of the Hoop Collective. "The city wants the Blazers to sign a lease to get the money to renovate their arena."

Subsequently, the organization rejected an invitation from City Council President Jamie Dunphy, per Jason Quick of The Athletic.

Are the Trail Blazers eyeing a move to St. Louis?

Ross Chaifetz is the managing director of the Chaifetz Group. His father, Dr. Richard Chaifetz, and the Chaifetz Group have an ownership stake in Portland's NBA franchise.

Their family has deep ties to St. Louis. That includes Dr. Richard Chaifetz being a graduate of St. Louis University. The gymnasium where the school's men's and women's basketball teams play is called Chaifetz Arena.

Ross Chaifetz recently retweeted a post from St. Louis news station KMOV touting St. Louis as a viable market for an NBA franchise.

Will Jayson Tatum have a chance to play for an NBA team in St. Louis?

Given the standoff between the Trail Blazers and politicians in Portland, and the history of sports teams relocating over disputes about arena funding, if you're a Boston Celtics fan, there's a bit too much smoke that's starting to billow around this situation.

Isaiah Thomas used to joke that the only way he would leave the Celtics was if his hometown of Seattle got an NBA team again. It's one of those quips that fans in Boston were glad they didn't have to worry about being put to the test.

With Jayson Tatum, they might not be so fortunate.

The star forward is a proud St. Louis native. He's currently hosting his sixth annual foundation golf tournament there.

Whether it's the result of the Trail Blazers relocating to the Gateway City or, as improbable as it seems now, an expansion franchise going there at some point, he may fancy the idea of suiting up for his hometown team.

Maybe Tatum spends his entire career with the Celtics. Or, at least most of it before finishing with the St. Louis club, should it come to exist. There are also financial incentives to sign an extension to remain in Boston when he becomes eligible.

So, while the possibility of this happening one day is enough to make Celtics fans sweat, even if the option becomes available, Tatum leaving to play in the city he grew up in is more likely than not a scenario they wouldn't have to worry about for the foreseeable future.

A deeper investigation into what's happening in Portland could also indicate that fans in Boston may never have to worry about this at all.

The Trail Blazers might be bluffing about relocating

First off, the NBA would have to sign off on them moving. They don't get to chart their future independently. Even if their dispute over the local arena leads to their exit, the league may steer them to a different market.

However, if this author had to guess, the powers that be in the Association probably don't want the Trail Blazers to uproot.

There are also several reasons to believe Dundon and Co. are bluffing.

For starters, they would have to pay a relocation fee. Then, they'd have to either build or renovate a stadium. That figures to be more expensive than coming to a resolution in Portland.

On top of that, they would have to cultivate a new fan base. It's a large and costly undertaking. Maybe Dundon's game for it. However, for these reasons, there's a good chance he's trying to get his way with brute force and attempting to strong-arm local politicians into agreeing to have the citizens of Portland fund the Trail Blazers' new arena.

Just because that's unlikely to work doesn't mean there is not a compromise of some sort to be had. Maybe Dundon's determined to leave. It's why those on the other side of these negotiations must move carefully. However, he'd still have to convince Adam Silver and the other owners that it's for the best.

Regarding St. Louis, the case to relocate from one market just inside the top 25 to another of that profile would have to be quite compelling. Because just like Celtics fans would rather not see an NBA team in St. Louis, those he's pitching probably prefer to keep the Trail Blazers in Portland.

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