There was a growing sentiment around the league Tuesday night that the Kevin Garnett sweepstakes are nearing a conclusion and that the Phoenix Suns are the most likely winners, with two trade scenarios emerging that could potentially land Garnett in the desert by draft night.

With the Los Angeles Lakers' attempts to construct a multi-team deal or a direct trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves collapsing, ESPN's Jim Gray reports that talk of a potential three-team trade that would involve Minnesota, Boston and Phoenix has been rekindled, in which the primary cost to the Suns would be All-Star forward Shawn Marion moving to the Celtics.

Yet an even bigger trade concept, ESPN.com has learned, was hatched Tuesday by the Wolves, in which Phoenix would likely be asked to trade away the player it has been trying not to trade, All-NBA center Amare Stoudemire, who would go to the Atlanta Hawks.

Either way, indications from various NBA front-office sources suggest that Garnett being moved in conjunction with Thursday's draft looks more likely than ever before, with the Suns -- identified by ESPN.com last week as KG's first choice for a new home -- in prime position to make the big score.

In the scenario reported by Gray, Garnett would go to Phoenix, Boston would land Marion and the Wolves would receive a package featuring the No. 5 overall pick in Thursday's draft along with undisclosed players from the Celtics and Suns.

The key stumbling block for Boston would be Marion's reluctance to play for the Celtics, which sources say was conveyed to both teams last week when the idea of a three-team trade involving these clubs was first made public. With Marion possessing the right to opt out of his contract after next season and become a free agent in July 2008, Boston would undoubtedly be seeking assurances from Marion's camp that he's interested in signing an extension with the Celtics, even though league rules technically would preclude such negotiations until after July 1 (and after the trade).