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Los Angeles Clippers: The overlooked impact of a new arena

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 24: Owner Steve Ballmer speaks as Paul George and Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers are introduced at Green Meadows Recreation Center on July 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 24: Owner Steve Ballmer speaks as Paul George and Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers are introduced at Green Meadows Recreation Center on July 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Clippers finally announced the long-awaited move out of Staples Center with a brand new arena set to open in 2024.

Since they moved to the Staples Center, the Los Angeles Clippers have always been viewed as the second-rate team in the arena. Like it or hate it, the Staples Center has always been viewed as the Lakers’ arena, although the team does not own it.

That is all going to change as Clippers owner Steve Ballmer unveiled the plans for a brand new arena in Inglewood that is set to open when the Clippers lease expires at the Staples Center after the 2023-2024 season.

If you haven’t seen the computer renderings yet then you are missing out. The arena truly looks to be a work of art.

Clipper fans are understandably getting super excited about this new arena. Having a new place to play is always nice, especially when it is a state of the art, brand new arena. The biggest win is shaking that aura of being renters at the Staples Center to the Lakers, even if that isn’t technically true.

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But there is also an overlooked impact that not a lot of people are talking about. Because of the new arena and wanting to draw as many fans in as possible, this is almost guaranteeing that the Clippers will be all-in on winning a championship five years.

This might seem silly as the team currently has Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and 2024 is not that far away. But keep in mind, both guys only have two years left on their deals and if things go haywire in LA, they both can leave.

While it seems more likely that they both stay and we think that they will stay, things can fall apart fast in the NBA and you can never rule it out. Just look at the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Plus, Leonard is going to be 33 and George is going to be 34 when the 2024 season starts. While they both will likely still be all-stars, they won’t be as good as they will be over the next three years or so.

Regardless of what the outcome is, the Los Angeles Clippers are essentially all-in to completely selling out to be contenders. After trading a lot of draft picks, the team really has no other option.

So with or without the superstar duo, the Clippers are going to be extremely aggressive over the next five years. Perhaps that means adding a younger star alongside the two in the future or even swapping one of them out, say, George, for a younger and better star.

Regardless of what it is, the Clippers are going to do everything in the team’s power to make sure that the 2024 team is a title contender. And with the team already being a title contender for the next two years, it appears that there is going to be a lot of success over the next five years.

Paul George was the best possible fit for the Clippers. dark. Next

There is no contending for two-three years and then falling back into the cellar. This is a team that is hoping to set up a run similar to the Golden State Warriors’.

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