Forbes magazine released its annual report on franchise values on Wednesday, and while only three NBA teams were listed at being worth more than a billion dollars, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban believes that will change in the relatively near future.
Cuban’s Dallas franchise was valued at $765 million, but he’s not exactly accepting that very recent estimate as an accurate appraisement.
From Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News:“They’re way too low,” he said.
So if somebody showed up with $765 million in his pocket and wanted the team he’s owned since 2000, what would Cuban do?
“I’d laugh at them,” he said. “I think we’re worth well over a billion. I think within the next five years, and this is just a guess, if the economy continues to get a little better and sports still stays in demand, every NBA franchise will be worth at least a billion dollars.”
That’s a little on the optimistic side, considering you have teams in markets like Milwaukee, Charlotte, New Orleans, and Atlanta that were all valued at less than $500 million in this latest exercise.
Dallas is a much bigger market, though, and the new television deal that’s on the horizon for the league may indeed see franchises spike in value. But given Cuban’s passion for the game and the team he owns, we wouldn’t expect him to sell at any price.