Los Angeles Clippers would benefit from changing cities

The Los Angeles Clippers have always been the second-most popular team in Los Angeles which has opened the door to potentially move to a new city.

First and foremost, as a Los Angeles based sports site, we want to start this article off with the disclaimer that we personally do not want the Los Angeles Clippers to leave LA. Covering the Clippers is a joy and this article dives into why a move would be good for the franchise and does not reflect our personal thoughts.

Because, while it would be disappointing to see the team leave from a fans’ perspective, for the state of the franchise, it may be the best thing owner Steve Ballmer could do.

It is Ballmer that is looking to move out of the Staples Center, after all. However, this is not a move to a new market or new city, instead, Ballmer stated that the Los Angeles Clippers will move to a new stadium in Inglewood “come hell or high water.”

More from LA Sports Hub

• Lakers: 5 Players to Target Through Trades to make another championship run
• LA Chargers: Week 8 against Denver Broncos is a must-win
• LA Rams: Jared Goff wants to keep the Los Angeles title streak going
• Lakers Rumors: Los Angeles Clippers interested in Rajon Rondo
• LA Chargers: Justin Herbert wins AFC Rookie of the Month

That is an understandable move for Ballmer to want to make. Dating back before he even purchased the team, the Clippers have always lived in the shadow of the Lakers in the Staples Center. That is the Lakers home and the Lakers are renting it out like an Airbnb for the Clippers to play home games.

While it is not quite that lopsided, it is a similar dynamic to the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams, the Chargers serving as the Clippers in that situation.

And while the move would give the team a newish identity and would give them their own home to be proud of, it won’t allow them to escape the shadow of the Lakers.

Even when the Clippers were clearly the better team with Lob City, there was not much hoopla and the spotlight still shined bright on a lottery-bound Lakers team that was playing with a half broken down Kobe Bryant.

Instead of the move to Inglewood, Ballmer should listen to Ice Cube, who said on the Bill Simmons Podcast that the Clippers should just move to a new city.

The two biggest cities to keep in mind should be Seattle and Las Vegas. Seattle had the Supersonics before the franchise moved to Oklahoma City and rebranded as the Thunder while Las Vegas has never had a professional basketball team.

Professional sports are just starting to scratch the surface in Vegas with the addition of the NHL expansion team, the Golden Knights and the eventual Raiders move to the city in 2020.

Vegas certainly is an intriguing option and one that the Clippers would benefit greatly from. Not only would the team get the natural home-field advantage of playing in Sin City, it would serve as a brand new market for NBA free agents to consider and alone would be a draw.

Oh, and the Los Angeles Clippers would have the advantage that the Orlando Magic have (and don’t utilize well) — no state income tax.

However, if the NBA were to establish a franchise in Los Angeles I would think that the league would want to establish an expansion team, which would naturally open the door to create an expansion team in the Eastern Conference, likely in Nashville or Montreal.

That leaves Seattle, and quite frankly, would be a great move for the Los Angeles Clippers to make. The Seattle fans are dying for another basketball team so the Clippers would naturally get the support of a driven fan base.

That is a huge factor for a team that does not have the biggest fan base despite playing in the second-largest market in the United States.

Plus, there is already an established connection with the former Microsoft CEO and the state of Washington. The Microsoft headquarters is located in Redmond Washington which is just outside of Seattle.

Microsoft has already supported the Seattle Sounders with an XBOX sponsorship on the jersey that has made it one of the most recognizable in the MLS.

The hungry public may vote to use tax dollars to build a new basketball arena and with Microsoft’s sponsorship, the Clippers could play in one of the most state of the art arenas in the world.

At the end of the day, we hope that the Los Angeles Clippers stay in the city of LA so we can continue to cover and support them. However, at the same time, it is understandable if the Los Angeles Clippers change cities as it ultimately would be for the better of the franchise.