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03:45 PM ET 02.25 | The Los Angeles Clippers believe the road to the NBA Finals goes through Oklahoma City in the Western Conference playoffs, and with a need to lock down Kevin Durant should that be the case, they were reportedly chasing defensive-minded Trevor Ariza of the Washington Wizards leading into the trade deadline. The Clippers had a deal in place before last Thursday's deadline to acquire Ariza for former Wizards player Caron Butler, who has a home in the D.C. area. Butler was apparently welcome to the idea of returning to Washington, and Ariza is familiar with Los Angeles having played with the Lakers and for the UCLA Bruins in college. But shortly before the trade deadline, owner Donald Sterling struck down the deal, according to NBA.com's David Aldridge. Whether that was because he didn't want to disrupt the chemistry or didn't want to upset point guard Chris Paul remains to be seen.

NBA.com

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

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February 26, 2013 11:33 PM ET

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Trevor is probably a better defender than anyone else on the Clip, plus he has a ring. It would have been a good tweak for them (the more former Lakers the better, right?).