The 2013-14 season for Timberwolves was a lost one on the court and in their bottom line, according to Grantland’s Zach Lowe.
Lowe obtained a document listing all 30 NBA team’s profit margins for the 2013-14 season. ESPN’s Bill Simmons and Lowe discussed the Wolves profit specifically on the lastest edition of Simmon’s podcast, the BS Report. This memo stated that the Wolves lost roughly $6 million last season, the sixth biggest loss of any team. They are among nine teams – Orlando, Sacramento, New York, Charlotte, Detroit, Atlanta, Washington and Brooklyn – who lost money last season.
The most profitable team in the league last season was the Los Angeles Lakers, who made a staggering $100.1 million. The Brooklyn Nets not only recently lost their coach, but lost $144 million last year. Only Joe Mauer’s 8-year, $184 million contract could cover up that sort of debt.
Simmons said during the podcast that courtside seat sales and local TV deals have a significant impacts on teams’ profits. As City Pages points out, however, ticket sales can also play a role in how much money the team makes. The Timberwolves had the third worst average attendance in the league last season at 14,564 people per game.
The Timberwolves franchise was valued at $430 million last January by Forbes, the fourth lowest value of any NBA team. Forbes points out that the team’s low value could be due to an outdated arena, decreases in season ticket sales and fans being fed up with the team’s inability to make the playoffs.
The Wolves also lost money last season, according to Forbes. The team reportedly lost $2.7 million during the 2012-13 season,
