Steve Ballmer has confirmed the Los Angeles Clippers could leave Staples Center once their lease ends in 2024.
“When you have seven or eight years left on your lease ... you’d better have an option than just going back to your current landlord hat in hand, saying, ‘Please, please sir, please give me the chance to play in your building again,” Ballmer said. “So, yeah, we’re going to have real options. We’re sort of putting those options together today.
“Staples (Center) is a great building, but if you look around the NBA, there are other great buildings that were optimized for basketball.”
The Clippers have interest in building a facility on the Westside of Los Angeles or in Inglewood near the Los Angeles Rams' new facility.
“If you want to build a new building, you can’t come up with that idea six months before the start of the season and sign a contract,” Ballmer said Monday. “There’s a long period that would be required to put a site together, get it permitted et cetera. So, we’re out now evaluating options.”
Ballmer has previously said the Clippers wouldn't leave the Los Angeles market in his lifetime.