By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The EuroLeague reiterated on Friday the start of the transition to a franchise model, keeping the 13 clubs-shareholders on its fold, including Real Madrid.
One of the key issues in this evolution is that by becoming franchises, leaving the EuroLeague will end up being really expensive for anyone.
As Eurohoops has reported, the opt-out clause was expected to rise to €100M, and this number may end up to €200M.
It’s true that next season, with the NBA project still being planned, the top-tier teams need to play in a top-tier competition, with EuroLeague being the only option, and opt-out clauses are still included.
So if a team wants to be part of the new competition and make a bid to join it, it has a way to do it.
However, the opt-out clause is currently €10M plus damages, and this is where things are starting to get to levels unprecedented in European basketball.
The key part is the “plus damages” mention, which, depending on the rising valuation of the league, may end up being a whopping €200M as early as next year.
Of course, with the numbers circulated on European basketball becoming more and more unthinkable compared to even two years before, even this number may end up being modest.
Make