Clippers owner eyeing the Forum

Clippers owner is in negotiations with rival MSG to purchase the Inglewood arena.

Steve Ballmer in talks with owner to purchase Inglewood arena.

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is in negotiations with the owner of the Forum to purchase the Inglewood arena, according to a person familiar with the talks who is not authorized to speak publicly.

Ballmer is in the process of trying to build a $1-billion arena for the Clippers near the Forum that triggered multiple lawsuits, including three by Forum owner Madison Square Garden Co.

Purchasing the Forum would remove one big obstacle in Ballmer’s pursuit of his proposed arena.

“The Clippers continue to pursue plans to build a stateof-the-art, 18,000-seat basketball arena and entertainment complex in Inglewood and are currently working with the city to successfully complete the comprehensive Environmental Impact Report,” the team said in a statement. “We are examining every possible way to resolve our differences with Madison Square Garden Co. regarding our new arena.”

MSG has two additional pending lawsuits in relation to the arena — dozens of key figures from the Clippers, MSG and Inglewood have been deposed — and has paid the legal fees for a community group that’s also suing.

The Clippers hope to start construction by July 2021 and complete the arena in time for the 2024-25 season.

A lawsuit filed by MSG in Los Angeles County Superior Court in January alleges that Assembly Bill 987, passed in late 2018 to shield the Clippers’ arena development from extended environmental litigation if it met several requirements, violates the state constitution.

Gov. Gavin Newsom in December gave final approval to fast-tracking the project, which sets a nine-month window for lawsuits and appeals over the project’s environmental impact to be resolved.