How high does the beam go?
In terms of NBA franchise valuations, at least toward the top half of the league.
The Sacramento Kings came in at No. 14 in CNBC's latest list of NBA franchise valuations, with the organization valued at $4.45 billion.
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It's a steady increase after Vivek Ranadivé bought the team in 2013 for $534 million, saving the Kings from potentially relocating to Seattle under the Maloof family. At the time, the sum Ranadivé paid was a record NBA franchise valuation.
All California teams are comfortably in the top 15, with three in the top eight. The Golden State Warriors lead the way at No. 1 and have a $9.4 billion valuation. The Los Angeles Lakers are No. 3 at $7 billion and the Los Angeles Clippers slot in at No. 8 with a $5.4 billion valuation.
At the start of Ranadivé's tenure in Sacramento, the Kings continued to struggle on the court, continuously missing the playoffs despite having talents like DeMarcus Cousins, Isaiah Thomas, Rudy Gay and more.
Sacramento began its gradual upward trajectory in 2017, when it drafted De'Aaron Fox with the No. 5 overall pick and brought in general manager Monte McNair in 2020. The season after, Sacramento traded rising star Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers for Domantas Sabonis.
In 2022-23 when Mike Brown joined as head coach, Sacramento finally broke a 16-year playoff drought behind the Fox-Sabonis tandem, with a supporting cast of Malik Monk, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray. The infamous "Light the Beam!" chant and gesture also started in the campaign.
But Sacramento lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Warriors and did not return to the postseason the season after, eventually retooling this season with Brown's firing and Fox's blockbuster trade to the San Antonio Spurs that saw Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine join the Kings. Sacramento also signed DeMar DeRozan in the free agency period prior to the season starting.
Sacramento's No. 14 valuation is just above the No. 15-ranked Cleveland Cavaliers and owner Dan Gilbert. The Cavs, one of the hottest teams this season, are valued at $4.35 billion.
The three lowest-valued teams are the New Orleans Pelicans ($3.3 billion), Minnesota Timberwolves ($3.25 billion) and Memphis Grizzlies ($3.2 million).