If the Clippers' season looks lost, will they make big trades?

— -- Are the LA Clippers' hopes of extending their playoff streak to seven consecutive years already dashed?

After starting the 2017-18 season a surprising 4-0 without All-Star guard Chris Paul, traded to the Houston Rockets over the summer, LA is now 8-11 and a half-game out of a playoff spot.

Injuries to starters Patrick Beverley, Danilo Gallinari and Milos Teodosic have been a big factor in the Clippers' swoon, and the situation got even worse Tuesday when Blake Griffin was diagnosed with an MCL sprain.

With Beverley already out for the season, can the Clippers realistically rally from their hole and reach the postseason? If not, they have some tough decisions ahead.

Clippers lacking playmakers

Coming out of training camp, Clippers coach Doc Rivers envisioned replacing Paul by playing Beverley and Teodosic as his starting guards, with Griffin supplying additional playmaking. That plan lasted a little more than a game before Teodosic was sidelined with a torn plantar fascia.

Even without Teodosic, the Clippers continued to play well with Beverley and Griffin together. In their 287 minutes this season, they outscored opponents by 6.1 points per 100 possessions according to NBA.com/Stats. With just Griffin on the court, the Clippers are getting beat by 5.9 points per 100 possessions.

Until Teodosic returns, the only Clippers player who is a point guard by trade is rookie second-round pick Jawun Evans, who's shooting 35.3 percent in limited action off the bench. So Rivers has made his son Austin the point guard alongside Lou Williams -- the backup backcourt at the start of the season. Since neither of those players is a natural playmaker, Griffin has led the Clippers with 5.1 assists per game. Amazingly, of the six Clippers averaging more than 1.2 assists per night, four of them (Beverley, Gallinari, Griffin and Teodosic) are now sidelined.

As ESPN's Bobby Marks noted, help may not be on the way unless the Clippers are willing to pay the luxury tax. They're currently barely more than $100,000 below the tax, meaning adding a 15th player for the remainder of the season would take the Clippers over the tax line.

Although Beverley won't return, the Clippers will at some point get Gallinari and Teodosic back from their injuries, supplying some needed shot creation. Until then, they'll rely heavily on Williams, who scored a season-high 42 points as the Clippers held off the L.A. Lakers to win 120-115 Monday with Griffin missing the final 3:53.

Clippers' slim playoff chances almost certainly dashed

While the Clippers might have been able to cling to their already long playoff chances had Griffin been out only a couple of weeks, the recovery timetable of up to eight weeks -- as reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski -- makes a playoff run unrealistic.

In the most optimistic scenario, where Griffin returns in six weeks -- the typical timetable for a grade-II sprain according to Jeff Stotts' research into the history of the injury -- that still gives the Clippers just 44 games left to make a run.

Given we can expect the Clippers to play at a pace slightly better than .500 with Griffin, they'd have to be close to even by the time he returns. Since the Clippers are already three games under .500, that would mean going something like 9-10 over the next six weeks, better than their current 8-11 record.

Any additional time Griffin misses only adds to the Clippers' hole, and we're counting on them staying healthy after they get Griffin back -- not realistic given their injury history. If the Clippers fall out of the playoff race without Griffin, the front office will have difficult decisions to make.

Clippers could look to trade impending free agents

If the Clippers give up hope of making the playoffs, they'll have to consider trading two key players who can become free agents at season's end. Notably, that means All-Star center DeAndre Jordan, who holds a player option for the 2018-19 season. Assuming talks with the Clippers don't result in an extension, Jordan will likely become a free agent to lock in what might be his last lucrative multiyear deal.

Given Jordan's age (29) and price tag, the Clippers might be ready to move on, and trading Jordan before the deadline would allow them to recoup some value. The depth at the center position around the league makes finding a trade partner difficult, particularly if the Clippers insist on getting expiring contracts in return. But Jordan, selected for the All-NBA team the past three seasons, would be an upgrade in the middle for most teams, so there should be interest.

Williams will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and we already have some idea of the value he can have at the deadline. Williams was traded from the Lakers to the Houston Rockets in February in exchange for Corey Brewer and a first-round pick. His value isn't likely as high now because Williams is in the last year of his contract and getting rid of Brewer's salary was part of the value to Houston. Nonetheless, Williams would probably fetch a solid second-round pick as a rental.

Besides their record, the Clippers' moves over the next two-plus months will also depend on their thinking as an organization. Are they ready to pivot to rebuilding around Griffin, or are they still trying to squeeze every win possible out of the Griffin-Jordan core?

One way or another, we'll know a lot more about the Clippers' direction by the trade deadline, including whether the playoffs are still a realistic possibility. Beverley's surgery and now Griffin's injury make that prospect less likely.