Jayson Tatum WNBA St Louis Bid Up To $200 Million
The WNBA is exploding in popularity, and everyone wants a piece of the action. Warriors executive chairmen Joe Lacob and Peter Gruber are owners of the Golden State Valkyries, set to debut next season. More than a dozen bids have been put in for the next franchise. Patrick Mahomes wants a team in Kansas City, and Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum wants to bring a team to his home town of St Louis.
The Golden State franchise is the league's 13th team, and they plan to have 16 teams by the 2028 season. The WNBA fee paid by Lacob and Gruber was $50 million. With the WNBA growing faster than any other sports league in the country (sorry NFL), analysts believe the winning bid for the next team could be north of $200 million.
Mahomes has pre-tax career earnings of $182 million, and his current contract pays him $45 million a year. Tatum has earned $155 million, and his current contract pays him $55 million per year. Neither player has the cash reserves for the fee, and then the other overhead expenses (place to play, facilities, travel, accommodations, ect). It is likely they will need a loan to compete with the other bidders, which likely include more NBA owners and front office personnel.
NBA teams already have the overhead in place, and the financial means to pay the WNBA fee without a loan. No teams have been named among the bidders, but it's likely that Miami, Detroit, New Orleans, Denver, San Antonio, Memphis, and Orlando are involved in some way. Should the league continue to skyrocket in popularity, the fee for a franchise could go through the roof. It may even compete with small market NBA teams.
A Jayson Tatum WNBA bid could motivate other former and current players looking for a guaranteed investment opportunity. LeBron James could look to fund a Cleveland bid, Michael Jordan a Charlotte bid, or maybe someone like Tiger Woods cutting in front of the Orlando Magic to get a Florida team. One thing that is certain, the WNBA is in a great place right now.