The Warriors ($4.3 billion) placed third in the Forbes’ NBA franchise-valuation rankings – behind the Knicks ($4.6 billion) and Lakers ($4.4 billion).
Warriors owner Joe Lacob, via Bill Shea of The Athletic:
The Warriors love to brag about being light years ahead. Consider this another example.
And it might be true. Moving into a new arena has only increased Golden State’s revenue.
But the Warriors are also coming off a dynastic run. The Knicks still draw high revenue amid all their misery. The Lakers still drew high revenue during their recent down period.
Will Golden State’s revenue hold up when Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green age out and the team rebuilds? That’s the type of test the Knicks and Lakers have passed. I doubt the Warriors would. They don’t have the history. They don’t play in the very largest markets.
However, Golden State probably doesn’t think in those terms. With their own high draft pick and another first-rounder incoming from the Timberwolves, the Warriors probably expect to keep rolling. Heck, they might even believe they’ll turn Andrew Wiggins into a positive asset. This is the light-years mentality.
I wonder what Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry think of Lacob’s comments. Durant took a discount with Golden State that, rather than just open team-building mechanisms, transferred money to ownership. Lacob reportedly considered offering Curry less than his full max – which again would have left more money with ownership rather than help with team-building. And now Lacob is bragging about how much money the team makes?