The Los Angeles Clippers' options for dealing Eric Bledsoe should they reverse course and decide to part with their prized young point guard appear to be increasing before Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

Sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.com late Saturday there is a level of mutual interest between the Clippers and Utah Jazz in exploring a deal that would feature Bledsoe as the headliner in a trade package for Jazz forward Paul Millsap.

Although two sources with knowledge of the Clippers' thinking insisted during All-Star Weekend that Bledsoe would not be moved in coming days and strongly predicted L.A. would stand pat, two other sources indicated the Clippers and Jazz will at least discuss the feasibility of a trade headlined by Bledsoe and Millsap before the deadline.

The Boston Celtics have expressed the league's most well-chronicled interest in trading for Bledsoe, through a deal that would require Celtics forward Kevin Garnett to waive his no-trade clause so Boston could send Garnett to L.A. for Bledsoe and either young center DeAndre Jordan or veteran forward Caron Butler.

But Garnett was adamant Saturday in a media session with reporters in conjunction with the East's All-Star practice in Houston that there is no scenario in which he'd consent to waive the no-trade clause, irrespective of his close relationship with Clippers guard Chauncey Billups or the fact that he makes his offseason home in Malibu.

The Clippers have been telling teams for weeks they value Bledsoe too highly to move him. It's widely presumed he'll be traded eventually, given the fact he's playing behind Chris Paul and is only expected to continue to improve. But rival executives have been pessimistic about the likelihood of prying Bledsoe away until Paul is signed to a long-term deal, which won't happen until July. Bledsoe himself, isn't a restricted free agent until summer 2014, which is said to only add to the desire of Clippers management to be patient.

Yet there is a school of thought the Clippers' best move to increase the chances of the sort of deep playoff run that would clinch Paul's signature on a new long-term deal this summer is trying to trade for Garnett or Boston teammate Paul Pierce to fortify the roster with more playoff experience.

The appeal of Millsap, by contrast, is he'd conceivably help the Clippers in the frontcourt immediately, as well as in the future because of his age (28). Utah's interest in finding a good young point guard, meanwhile, is an open secret around the league that has led to longstanding speculation that either Millsap or Al Jefferson would be moved by the deadline, given that both are scheduled to become free agents such as Paul in July.