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Clippers need right pieces to make a championship run

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When the Clippers had an NBA-best 14-2 record, the talk of them being true championship contenders seemed appropriate.

But it was a mirage.

Now the Clippers must set their sights on how they will put the right pieces together to make a real championship run after Sunday’s Game 7 loss to the Utah Jazz eliminated them from the playoffs, their second consecutive first-round exit.

Chris Paul, one of their leaders, was asked after the loss at Staples Center what the Clippers must do to get over the hump.

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“Luckily,” he said, “that’s not my job, know what I mean? That’s not my job. My job is to come in, try to make sure I’m in the best shape possible, try to lead our team and stuff like that. That’s not my job to maneuver who’s here and who’s there.”

It’s not going to be easy from a financial standpoint and from the number of players the Clippers may actually have to add to produce a quality roster.

It’s possible that the Clippers will have to acquire as many as six players this summer.

They currently have 11 under contract for next season, but the dynamics of players being able to opt out of contracts and the retirement of Paul Pierce could change those numbers.

Paul, Blake Griffin, Luc Mbah a Moute and Marreese Speights all are expected to opt out of their contracts and become unrestricted free agents.

J.J. Redick, Raymond Felton, Alan Anderson and Brandon Bass all are free agents.

According to NBA executives who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter because of the sensitive nature of talks, Paul and Griffin are expected to re-sign long-term contracts with the Clippers.

Redick, however, is expected to sign elsewhere for a lot more money than the Clippers can afford, according to the same league executives.

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If Griffin and Paul re-sign, as expected, the Clippers still would have DeAndre Jordan, Austin Rivers, Wesley Johnson, Jamal Crawford, Brice Johnson and Diamond Stone under contract.

Mbah a Moute could also re-sign with the Clippers if he decides to opt out of his contract, leaving nine players from the current team. The Clippers can use the “early Bird” exception to sign him for 175% of his previous salary of $2.2 million, which would leave Mbah a Moute with a two-year deal worth about $8 million.

The Clippers have the non-Bird exception they can use on Felton, Anderson, Speights and Bass that would pay them 120% over their previous veteran’s minimum salaries.

The Clippers do not have a pick in the June draft, so they can’t replenish talent that way.

Of course, the Clippers could return to the trade market for New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, but that would require sending out several players to match his salary.

The Clippers also will monitor the availability of Indiana Pacers forward Paul George, who could be traded.

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Otherwise, if the Clippers are unable to make the proper deals, Rivers could replace Redick in the starting lineup.

Financially, things could become complicated for the Clippers.

They could have the mid-level exception of $8.4 million to use. But if Paul and Griffin re-sign, as expected, the Clippers instead would have the taxpayer mid-level exception of $5.2 million.

The Clippers could split either of the mid-level exceptions on two players.

They can use the veteran’s exception that can be up to $1.6 million for a player with 10-plus years of experience.

But doing business with free agents in today’s NBA can be costly.

The Clippers may not be able to afford players such as point guard Darren Collison, small forward P.J. Tucker or center/forward Donatas Motiejunas, any of whom wold be a good fit.

Among the players that might be able to add are guards Ramon Sessions and Beno Udrih and forwards Anthony Morrow, Jonas Jerebko and Kris Humphries.

broderick.turner@latimes.com

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Twitter: @BA_Turner

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