What’s the deal with the Clippers? Last place

Allen Iverson, where are you?

Clippers fans eagerly await Iverson’s possible arrival in a trade, hoping there’s still something to salvage if he eventually joins a team that took another wrong turn on the road Friday night in a 109-99 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in front of 16,210 at the Rose Garden.

While Clippers officials in Los Angeles continued to explore ways to acquire the Philadelphia 76ers’ disgruntled star guard, the team struggled again away from its home court.

The Clippers dropped to 1-8 on the road and lost their third in a row overall despite shooting 58.8% from the field. At 10-12, the Clippers are in last place in the Pacific Division, already six games behind the division-leading Phoenix Suns.

Shaun Livingston -- the main player the 76ers want for Iverson -- had 16 points and 10 assists in a strong performance, but many of his teammates again appeared lost on defense.

Two days after the Utah Jazz made many uncontested jumpers and shots in the lane in a 19-point victory at Staples Center, the Trail Blazers also faced little resistance from the Clippers. Portland (11-14) got a game-high 26 points from Zach Randolph and made nine of 15 three-point shots in winning its fourth straight game.

The Iverson trade speculation has become a distraction in the locker room, co-captains Elton Brand and Sam Cassell said, and it could continue to stir problems for a team that’s already reeling.

The Clippers are still in the mix for Iverson, front-office sources said Friday, but have not found a match with the 76ers despite making at least two proposals that included Corey Maggette. And the Clippers remain opposed to trading Livingston, although including him in offers might prompt the 76ers to focus on trying to make a deal with them.

Just another day with a struggling bunch that’s awaiting word on A.I.

“It’s definitely a distraction,” said Brand, who led the Clippers with 23 points and 10 rebounds, but scored only four points in the second half.

“We’ve had injuries and a lot of different things that just haven’t gone right for us, and now there’s a lot of trade rumors and speculation going on.

“I’m not distracted by it, but I think other guys are. You just have to try to forget about it, bond together and get through it, but guys are human. We’ve all heard the names out there.”

The Clippers don’t comment on trade talks, but the team on Friday continued to consider potential combinations of players to offer to Philadelphia. Andy Roeser, executive vice president, General Manager Elgin Baylor and Coach Mike Dunleavy are unified in the belief that trading for Iverson is the right thing to do, for the right price.

After Baylor’s initial conversations with his 76ers counterpart, Billy King, some in the organization thought Philadelphia had interest in sending Iverson to Los Angeles for Maggette -- whose agent recently asked the Clippers to trade the seven-year veteran -- and Cuttino Mobley, a Philadelphia native.

As things progressed, however, it became clear that probably wouldn’t get it done, a source said. The 76ers, so far, also aren’t interested in Cassell, Maggette and Mobley for Iverson and long-range shooter Kyle Korver.

The Clippers don’t want to trade Cassell or Mobley, but Iverson’s hefty contract -- he has a salary of $17.1 million this season and is owed almost $40 million combined in 2007-08 and 2008-09 -- would put them into luxury-tax territory unless they moved some of their big contracts.

The Clippers also have concerns about their depth on the perimeter if they traded productive players, even for a four-time scoring champion. Moreover, the Clippers don’t have expiring contracts to help the 76ers with their luxury-tax problems.

In talks with Clippers officials, the 76ers have proposed three-team trades, but Livingston would be a top target in bigger proposals.

“I’ve heard my name out there, and I didn’t even know I had any value left at my age,” said Cassell, 37. “I’ve been in this game for 14 years, so I understand this aspect of the business. It doesn’t bother me, but I think it’s tough for some of the other guys. ... Management has to do what it thinks is best, that’s the way it is.”

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jason.reid@latimes.com

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KEYS TO THE GAME

* Defense, anyone? You know you’re struggling in that area when you shoot 58.8% from the field ... and lose.

* Only eight points and four rebounds from Chris Kaman. Remember when Kaman was a consistent double-double threat?

* The A.I. factor. Players acknowledged trade speculation about Allen Iverson has become a distraction. As if this crew didn’t have enough to worry about on the court.

--JASON REID