The Los Angeles Lakers ($3.7 billion) are the second-most valuable NBA franchise during the 2018-19 NBA season, according to Kurt Badenhausen and Mike Ozanian of Forbes.
At $3.7 billion, the team’s value increased by 12 percent over the past year, but the New York Knicks ($4 billion) remain the most valuable NBA franchise.
When breaking down the Lakers and Knicks’ values which includes revenue shared among all teams ($587 million vs. $611 million), city and market size ($1.866 billion vs. $1.831 billion), and brand ($674 million vs. $563 million), the major difference between the two teams is arena ($573 million vs. $995 million) due to Madison Square Garden’s recent $1 billion renovation.
As the Lakers and Knicks have not made the playoffs the last five seasons, the Golden State Warriors ($3.5 billion) have increased their value by 367 percent during this time. Meanwhile, L.A. appears headed for a sixth consecutive season without reaching the playoffs.
By moving to the Chase Center for the 2019-20 season, the Warriors are expected to challenge the Knicks in revenue ($401 million vs. $443 million).
While all 30 teams are worth at least $1 billion now, the Cleveland Cavaliers are the only one that declined in value over the past year.
Since LeBron James signed a four-year, $154 million deal with the Lakers in free agency, the Cavaliers’ value decreased by four percent.
