The most valuable NBA teams

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The hardwood might as well be paved with gold: the average national Basketball Association franchise is now worth $1.36 billion, a 3.5-fold increase over the last five years. Operating profits are already at a record high—an average of $31 million per team. Owners, meanwhile, are salivating at what’s on the immediate horizon: A new seven-year, collective-bargaining agreement that secures labour peace through the 2023–24 season, a nine-year, $24 billion national TV deal and increasing interest from overseas. For more on the business of professional basketball, please see forbes.com/nba .