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#4 Golden State Warriors
Previous rank: 3rd (worldwide)
Trending
Average annual salary: £7.82 million ($9.96 million)
Highest-paid player: Stephen Curry ($37.5 million)
The Warriors should be made into a case study on how to turn the fortunes of a franchise around. Up until 2012, the Warriors were genuinely the laughing stock of the NBA, with their last championship coming in 1975 during a time when the likes of Rick Barry were still balling at the height of their powers.
Under Jerry West, they drafted Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, and 2 Finals appearances later, they added Kevin Durant to the mix to compile the most talented NBA team of all time. This summer, they outdid themselves by signing DeMarcus Cousins - arguably the best big man in the game when healthy - for a season, virtually guaranteeing themselves a 3rd straight championship run.
