The Warriors internally are projecting a "nine-figure increase in revenue when they move into the Chase Center next season," according to sources cited by Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Kevin Durant re-signing with the team this offseason "potentially would send the Warriors toward a payroll" above $300M when luxury taxes are included. The franchise "might grumble about it, but they will be able to afford it." Windhorst: "Do not fret about the Warriors and cash flow" (ESPN.com, 1/16). NBCSPORTS.com's Dan Feldman wrote the Warriors "already make so much money on their home games," but a nine-figure bump in revenue is a "whopping increase -- one that could alone increase the league-wide salary cap a couple million dollars." This figure "doesn’t say how much more money will reach" Warriors ownership, as the team "could have greater expenses, including revenue-sharing obligations, in their new arena." Still, it is "hard to imagine this won’t be a windfall" for the Warriors (NBCSPORTS.com, 1/16). Read more about the revenue potential of Chase Center in this week's SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL.
STANDING ROOM ONLY: In L.A., Bill Shaikin noted the Warriors "have 200 of what they call the 'In the Building Pass' on sale." The $100 monthly passes get fans "into the arena, but not into the game," and Warriors Chief Revenue Officer Brandon Schneider said that the team has sold 55 of them. The "waiting list for season tickets tops 44,000." Schneider: “We’re trying to think outside the box and figure out new opportunities for people to be able to go to a game." But if building passes are the "wave of the future, the swell remains far offshore," as the Warriors are the "only team in the NBA trying it." Teams that do not sell out every game are "unlikely to cannibalize the money they make from selling seats" (L.A. TIMES, 1/16).
