Clippers Say They Are Trying to trade Norm Nixon

The Clippers, stalled for weeks in their effort to sign free-agent point guard Norm Nixon, are trying to trade him. One possible deal that General Manager Carl Scheer mentioned Friday is a three-team trade that would send Nixon to the Indiana Pacers.

“Indiana really needs a guard, and it is the only team interested,” Scheer said. “But we can’t find a player we want (on the Pacers). The only way is to take one or two of Indiana’s more marketable players (forwards) and make a three-way trade so we’d get a guard. I’d like to do something before the start of the season (next Friday).”

Since Nixon is a free agent, the Clippers still would have to sign him before trading him.

“We are so hopelessly deadlocked that I told Fred (Slaughter, Nixon’s agent) Thursday we ought to try to trade Norm,” Scheer said. “The best thing to do is salvage something with a trade.”

Although Nixon, 30, is a free agent, no team has given him with an offer sheet. Nixon is asking the Clippers for slightly more than $700,000 a year for four years. The Clippers countered with an offer of $500,000 a year for three years. Nixon earned $413,000 last season, all but $160,000 of that deferred, under terms of a contract he signed when he played for the Lakers. Slaughter said: “Carl told me three weeks ago that he called 13 teams and was working on a way to sign Norm and trade him. He has to find a team that will pay Norm the kind of numbers he will agree to and then work out a precontract compensation with that team.”

Since the Clippers are believed to be only about $10,000 shy of salary cap restriction, they would have to trade for another point guard instead of looking to the free-agent market.