The surging Indiana Pacers have made themselves an interesting team to watch leading up to the NBA trade deadline, but they are unlikely to deal from

Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard is out against the Pistons with a thoracic spine sprain and guard Bennedict Mathurin is out with an illness.

The NBA trade deadline is less than a week away, and there is more to follow than just flashy names. Let’s open up the notebook to run through three under-the-radar deadline narratives that have caught my eye with Feb. 6 approaching: Andrew Nembhard appears ripe for the picking, but don’t judge an NBA team’s books by its cover.

Just a few games into the season, the Pacers lost both backup centers to a torn Achilles. Soon after, they lost Andrew Nembhard to a knee issue that cost him close to a month. Aaron Nesmith then suffered a severe ankle sprain that cost him 35 games of the season. He just recently returned and has slowly been brought back.

Atlanta enters the matchup against Indiana after losing seven straight games. The teams square off Saturday for the first time this season.

Nembhard is in danger of missing his first game Wednesday since Dec. 27 due to a back issue. If the third-year guard cannot suit up for the Pacers against Detroit, Aaron Nesmith and Ben Sheppard stand out as the two most likely candidates to enter Indiana's starting lineup.

Nembhard (back) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Pistons, Tony East of WTHR Channel 13 Indianapolis reports.

Andrew Nembhard's fingerprints were all over the Indiana Pacers' wire-to-wire victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Paris Games finale on Saturday. The

Tyrese Haliburton scored 16 of his 28 points in a dazzling 2-1/2 minute display late in the third quarter, Pascal Siakam scored 23 and the Indiana Pacers downed Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs 136-98 in the NBA Paris Games finale on Saturday.

Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin "is being monitored by nearly every team seen as a buyer at the deadline," according to the Los Angeles Times'

Pacers power forward Pascal Siakam was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star reserves on Thursday. It's his third selection and first as a Pacer.