Rebraca to undergo back surgery

The season for Clippers center Zeljko Rebraca is apparently over before it started.

Rebraca, 7 feet and 265 pounds, will undergo surgery Tuesday on his lower back to remove herniated disk fragments discovered last week in an examination by team physician Tony Daly.

The surgery, which is expected to keep the 34-year-old from Serbia out for the remainder of the season, will be performed by Dr. Robert Watkins.

The problem began before training camp, preventing Rebraca from suiting up for what would have been his sixth season.

In stints with the Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks and the last two seasons with the Clippers, Rebraca averaged 5.9 points and 3.2 rebounds. His biggest value to the Clippers was as a big body in the middle defensively.

“We were hoping to get him back this month,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “It’s too bad.”

Dunleavy wouldn’t speculate on a possible replacement for Rebraca.

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Throwing the Internet into the media mix has added a fertile source for trade rumors.

When a player such as the Clippers’ Corey Maggette is on the trading block, as he was until owner Donald Sterling recently ruled out a move unless he received an offer he couldn’t refuse, new scenarios are floated daily, it seems.

And sometimes, Dunleavy said, it’s the opposing clubs that float the rumors.

“There are a lot of teams out there that are throwing stuff against the wall, hoping something is going to stick,” he said.

When a player such as Maggette expresses an interest in being traded, as he has this season, he becomes a key figure in all sorts of trade scenarios.

“What happens is, he’s fair game,” Dunleavy said. “Some teams want to make a deal with somebody they have, so they throw our guy’s name in and say it’s part of the deal to raise the ante. It’s just a game.”

Dunleavy said he doesn’t automatically discount all the rumors he reads or hears about.

“You may read something and you wonder, ‘Is this a test balloon by [a team] flying it out there?’ So you call the team and say, ‘Did you float this? Is it something you might be interested in?’ ” Dunleavy said.

And thus, sometimes, the rumor becomes reality.

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steve.springer@latimes.com