In another sign that they are trying to make themselves more competitive, the Clippers have spoken with Anschutz Entertainment Group about developing a basketball practice facility at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

Owner Donald Sterling's team, which in recent months hired a high-profile coach in Mike Dunleavy and signed key players Elton Brand and Corey Maggette to long-term contracts, also has talked with officials at other potential sites and hopes to have a deal finalized before the end of the upcoming season.

"Though no new development is imminent, we have had several conversations on multiple fronts," Clipper executive vice president Andy Roeser said Thursday in a statement released by the team. "We think our current situation is certainly sufficient for now, but going forward it is our intent to ultimately upgrade our practice-facility arrangement."

The Clippers, who open training camp Saturday at L.A. Southwest College, are among a handful of NBA teams without their own practice facility.

They have practiced at Southwest since 2000, when the Lakers vacated the campus gym and moved to HealthSouth Training Center in El Segundo, which was built by AEG at a cost of $24 million and also houses the Kings' facilities.