Wolves revive trade talks with Suns, Celtics

It's back to the future, again.

With trade talks between the Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers regarding Wolves All-Star forward Kevin Garnett cooling down, an old deal reportedly found new life.

ESPN's Jim Gray reported late Tuesday night that negotiations in a three-way deal with the Wolves, Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics had been revived. While few specifics were mentioned, Gray said the deal would send Garnett to Phoenix. Forward Shawn Marion would go from the Suns to the Celtics, and Boston would sent its first-round draft choice (No. 5 overall) and at least two players to the Wolves.

Sound familiar?

It should. The Wolves and Celtics were talking last week about a two-team deal that would have involved Boston's pick and a slew of players, a list that might have included forward/center Al Jefferson and guard Sebastian Telfair. That talk was squashed when Andy Miller, Garnett's agent, said Garnett didn't want to play in Boston.

Shortly after that, a three-way deal including Phoenix was floated, but sunk when Marion indicated he didn't want to play in Boston, either.

So what has changed?

Gray reported the most recent incarnation of the deal was contingent on Marion accepting a contract extension with the Celtics. Marion and his agent, Dan Fagan, were reportedly mulling the offer Tuesday night.

This comes on the heels of a report on ProBasketballNews.com that said talks between the Lakers and Wolves ended at the request of Wolves owner Glen Taylor. This word came shortly after Taylor met with members of his front office at team headquarters Tuesday morning, a meeting that presumably dealt both with the upcoming draft and the raft of scenarios being bandied about concerning Garnett's future. Then Taylor and his wife went to the airport and left for a honeymoon in China.

Sources with the Wolves indicated Monday that the chances of getting a two-team deal done with the Lakers were slim. That's what talks had become after a four-team deal with Indianapolis and Boston reportedly broke down when Boston officials apparently became dissatisfied with what they would receive in their end of that deal, namely Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal, according to newspaper and Internet sources.

At a predraft news conference Tuesday, Pacers President Larry Bird said he briefly had talked with Kevin McHale, Wolves vice president of basketball operations and Bird's old Celtics teammate, on Monday. Was McHale trying to recruit another team into the trade talks? He was unavailable for comment Tuesday.

Thursday's NBA draft puts a hard deadline on the Wolves-Suns-Celtics deal getting done, because Boston's No. 5 pick is part of the proposal. In any event, there might be another incentive for any team looking to trade for Garnett.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Garnett's $6.75 million trade kicker -- 15 percent of what he will make over the final two years of his contract -- has an interesting clause attached. If he is traded before July 1, the kicker can be split over two seasons. But if Garnett is traded after July 1, the entire total would go against a team's payroll for the upcoming season.

ºKevin Garnett In the latest proposed trade involving the Suns and Celtics, Garnett would go to Phoenix.

Kent Youngblood • kyoungblood@startribune.com