Dunleavy says major deal not likely

Wild trade speculation is great for sports-talk radio and Internet chat rooms, especially with the NBA trading deadline today at noon.

In the real world, however, New Jersey Nets All-Star forward Vince Carter probably won’t be sent to the Clippers for Shaun Livingston and an expiring contract. And it’s doubtful the Clippers could acquire a star-caliber player for a package that included James Singleton and Yaroslav Korolev.

With a Western Conference playoff berth at stake, the struggling Clippers would prefer to make a trade in an attempt to improve, many in the organization said, but completing a deal is not as easy as many seem to believe. Moreover, most of the rumored trades involving the Clippers couldn’t happen because of the league’s salary-cap rules.

“No one has made any of these offers that we’ve been reading about and hearing about,” General Manager Elgin Baylor said Wednesday. “The only valid offers that have been made are offers that would not improve our team. We would be giving up more than we would be getting, but you never know what could happen. You never stop trying until the deadline.”

The Clippers are not expected to make a major deal today, though not for lack of effort, Coach Mike Dunleavy said.

“There are lots of dynamics involved with trying to get a deal done,” Dunleavy said. “Obviously, there are the salary-cap dynamics and long-term dynamics as far as the direction of your team.

“In certain cases, there are draft-related dynamics out there. Teams are making a lot of decisions on what they’re willing to do and not willing to do. It’s more complicated than people think.”

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As expected, the Clippers signed guard Von Wafer from the development league to a 10-day contract. Wafer, a former Laker, is third in the NBDL in scoring, averaging 19.6 points for the Colorado 14ers.

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Tim Thomas joined the team’s long list of injured players, suffering a sprained ankle in practice. Chris Kaman (flu), Cuttino Mobley (groin) and Sam Cassell (abdomen) also sat out practice.

jason.reid@latimes.com