2022 NBA trade deadline sellers guide: Thunder, Pacers control market yet surprises loom in the background

Surprise sellers could emerge before the Feb. 10 trade deadline

Only three teams in the Eastern Conference are more than one game out of a play-in spot as of this writing. The gap is a bit wider in the Western Conference, but only the Thunder and Rockets have truly ruled themselves out of the postseason. By that standard, the trade deadline is going to be a sellers' market. There just won't be enough of them for buyers to make meaningful upgrades without paying a significant price.

Of course, the buyers know that, and that's what makes identifying sellers so difficult as the Feb. 10 trade deadline approaches. There are going to be teams in the middle of the standings that see a gap in the market and decide to pivot, which, in turn, could affect how the market plays out for the predetermined sellers. So let's split the deadline's class of sellers in half. On one of the spectrum we'll have the traditional sellers. On the other? The possible surprises.