New research reveals that of all the teams in the National Basketball Association, the Brooklyn Nets are spending the most cash for the smallest returns.
With the 2022 NBA season is just over a month away and with net spend between teams amounting to over $3.9 billion this year, the new study by OLBG looks into net spending, commercial value, and average player salaries to results compared to total league titles and win percentage, to determine an overall "Spend Score."
The top 10 worst spenders in the NBA
| Rank | Team | League/Division Titles | Win Percentage | Commercial value | Average Salary | Net Spend | Spend Score /10 |
| 1 | Brooklyn Nets | 9 | 41.7% | $2.7bn | $13.9m | $176.4m | 1.10 |
| 2 | Sacramento Kings | 7 | 36.7% | $1.8bn | $10.0m | $140.3m | 2.55 |
| 3 | LA Clippers | 2 | 60.1% | $2.8bn | $11.8m | $170.4m | 2.96 |
| 4 | Phoenix Suns | 11 | 42.4% | $1.7bn | $12.3m | $105.1m | 3.45 |
| 5 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 1 | 38.9% | $1.4bn | $9.4m | $132.3m | 3.51 |
| 6 | Dallas Mavericks | 7 | 49.6% | $2.5bn | $12.0m | $114.7m | 3.52 |
| 7 | Milwaukee Bucks | 22 | 46.0% | $1.6bn | $11.4m | $151.7m | 3.66 |
| 7 | New Orleans Pelicans | 1 | 39.9% | $1.4bn | $9.7m | $118.3m | 3.66 |
| 9 | Utah Jazz | 13 | 50.7% | $1.7bn | $10.1m | $151.6m | 4.00 |
| 10 | Atlanta Hawks | 13 | 47.7% | $1.5bn | $11.3m | $118.8m | 4.20 |
The Nets also rank in the bottom ten for the lowest number of titles and place third from last for its proportion of wins to losses.
Interestingly, the New York Knicks have the highest commercial value of the NBA teams studied, The Knicks’ value lies in its stadium, with Madison Square Garden accounting for 23% of the team’s value and its TV deals on both a local and a national level.
To read more on the net spend across all NBA teams and to view the full research findings, click here.
