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Forbes: Knicks Most Valuable NBA Franchise
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All posts by Basketball InsidersUpdated15 Oct 2021
Forbes has released its 2016 NBA Franchise valuations, and the New York Knicks came in with the top valuation of all 30 NBA franchises with a whopping $3 billion Forbes value.
While many of the key voices in sports ownership downplay the true accuracy of the Forbes values, their numbers are usually considered the best publicly available measuring stick for how much a sports team is worth.
Here is how Forbes ranked the NBA in 2016:
| Rank | Team | Current Value | Revenue | Operating Income |
| #1 | New York Knicks | $3 B | $307 M | $108.9 M |
| #2 | Los Angeles Lakers | $2.7 B | $304 M | $133.4 M |
| #3 | Chicago Bulls | $2.3 B | $228 M | $67.6 M |
| #4 | Boston Celtics | $2.1 B | $181 M | $57.4 M |
| #5 | Los Angeles Clippers | $2 B | $176 M | $20.6 M |
| #6 | Golden State Warriors | $1.9 B | $201 M | $57.6 M |
| #7 | Brooklyn Nets | $1.7 B | $220 M | $-5.7 M |
| #8 | Houston Rockets | $1.5 B | $237 M | $74.6 M |
| #9 | Dallas Mavericks | $1.4 B | $177 M | $24.3 M |
| #10 | Miami Heat | $1.3 B | $180 M | $20.8 M |
| #11 | San Antonio Spurs | $1.15 B | $170 M | $31.9 M |
| #12 | Cleveland Cavaliers | $1.1 B | $191 M | $24.8 M |
| #13 | Phoenix Suns | $1 B | $154 M | $21.8 M |
| #14 | Toronto Raptors | $980 M | $163 M | $23.5 M |
| #15 | Portland Trail Blazers | $975 M | $157 M | $4.1 M |
| #16 | Washington Wizards | $960 M | $146 M | $2.9 M |
| #17 | Oklahoma City Thunder | $950 M | $157 M | $20.9 M |
| #18 | Sacramento Kings | $925 M | $141 M | $4.2 M |
| #19 | Orlando Magic | $900 M | $143 M | $35.4 M |
| #20 | Utah Jazz | $875 M | $146 M | $27.5 M |
| #21 | Denver Nuggets | $855 M | $140 M | $26.3 M |
| #22 | Detroit Pistons | $850 M | $154 M | $16 M |
| #23 | Indiana Pacers | $840 M | $138 M | $19 M |
| #24 | Atlanta Hawks | $825 M | $142 M | $7 M |
| #25 | Memphis Grizzlies | $780 M | $147 M | $10.3 M |
| #26 | Charlotte Hornets | $750 M | $142 M | $3.7 M |
| #27 | Minnesota Timberwolves | $720 M | $146 M | $15.1 M |
| #28 | Philadelphia 76ers | $700 M | $124 M | $13.9 M |
| #29 | Milwaukee Bucks | $675 M | $126 M | $11.6 M |
| #30 | New Orleans Pelicans | $650 M | $142 M | $19.7 M |
While the New York Knicks posted the highest franchise value, the LA Lakers posted the highest Operating Income at more than $133.4 million. Also, while the New Orleans Pelicans posted the lowest franchise value at $650 million, they are still believed to have posted Operating Income of more than $19.7 million.
The Brooklyn Nets, whose Forbes value came in at $1.7 billion, also posted the largest Operating Loss of any NBA team with a negative $5.7 million, making the Nets the only NBA team on Forbes list to have lost money.
