Kevin Calabro’s departure as Trail Blazers TV play-by-play announcer is the latest example that the team’s broadcast crew “continues to downsize and evolve” under owner Tom Dundon’s stewardship, according to Joe Freeman of the Portland OREGONIAN. Calabro’s contract expired on June 30, and there was “mutual interest” for a reunion. However, things changed when the Blazers “presented his agent with a low contract offer he called ‘subprime,’” leading to his departure Wednesday. The contracts of TV analyst Michael Holton, sideline reporter Brooke Olzendam, statistician Tom Haberstroh, studio hosts Neil Everett and Jamie Hudson and radio play-by-play voice Travis Demers also expired June 30. The team has elected not to retain Holton, Haberstroh, Everett and Hudson. A source said that the Blazers and Olzendam are “nearing a deal” on an extension. Sources said that Demers could “return in his role, though his salary would be paid for by iHeartRadio and not the team.” As a result, it would “come with a significant pay cut.” Sources said that TV analyst Lamar Hurd is “expected to return,” as he has a year left on his contract. A team source noted that the Blazers’ TV broadcast was the “third-most expensive” production in the NBA last season. The profits of regional sports networks have “plummeted in recent years, making it an obvious target for reduction.” Meanwhile, the team will continue to air games through Sinclair as part of the last year of a multiyear contract. A source said that the sides had “discussed a one-year extension,” but those talks “fizzled in recent weeks” (Portland OREGONIAN, 7/22).

GRASS IS GREENER: WILLAMETTE WEEK’s Robert Ohman wrote Calabro “seemed somewhat relieved to be pursuing new opportunities” after announcing his departure. Calabro said the team’s offer “just wasn’t going to be worth my time or effort or lending my name to what they were offering, in terms of the number of games and the compensation per game.” There also were “no benefits attached to it at all.” Calabro: “It was a really disappointing offer that was not hard at all to turn thumbs down on and realize that there was not much seriousness on the other end to get a deal done, which is fine if you want to end the relationship.” He added, “My agent was terrific. She doggedly pursued an extension with the Blazers, and while they listened, there really was no response from them — ever — right up until the time the contract ended on June 30, and yet we continued to knock on the door. And then finally they did make an offer on Monday, and it just wasn’t at all what we had talked about or explored” (WILLAMETTE WEEK, 7/22).