The NBA’s offseason used to be defined by team-switching superstars — which supposed that after the league released its schedule Thursday, it used to be highlighted by these stars’ returns to the cities that after cheered for them.
Accurate thru the 2026-27 season, Giannis Antetokounmpo will return to Milwaukee following a yearslong drama referring to whether he wished to have or breeze away. Jaylen Brown will play in Boston no longer up to three years away from bringing the Celtics an NBA championship. And Brown’s fresh Philadelphia teammate, LeBron James, will revisit Los Angeles after eight years as a Laker.
Whether or no longer they are going to be received warmly or no longer received’t be identified till tipoff. But followers already know now when matchups like that, and other extremely anticipated video games, will be performed.
Brown vs. Tatum in Boston
Finest two years after Brown received NBA Finals MVP for Boston, the Celtics traded him to division rival Philadelphia in a pass interpreted as the Celtics’ selecting Brown’s worn operating mate, Jayson Tatum, over him. Brown later acknowledged he “threw my cellular phone throughout the room” after he heard he used to be being dealt. As an alternative of retain the juicy reunion early in the season, the league dated his Boston return for Jan. 21 (Top Video). That game is one of four between the 76ers and the Celtics this season; the others are on Nov. 10 (Top Video), Feb. 7 (NBC/Peacock) and March 7 (ABC).
Giannis returns to Milwaukee
Antetokounmpo’s breakup with Milwaukee, the team that drafted him and with which he received a championship in 2021, used to be long. The NBA didn’t elope his return to Milwaukee, both. Antetokounmpo’s Miami Warmth first focus on over with the Bucks on Jan. 28, approach the midway level of the season, when this can even be more uncomplicated to gauge how a hit his departure for Miami has gone (Top Video).
Lillard’s Portland homecoming
After having spent the vital 11 years of his profession adored in Portland, guard Damian Lillard left the metropolis in a cantankerous exit in 2023 for Milwaukee to offer Antetokounmpo what used to be supposed to be a championship enhance. That partnership by no methodology lived up to such expectations, on the opposite hand, and Lillard re-signed with Portland final season nonetheless by no methodology performed a game whereas he rehabbed a long-duration of time leg atomize. That modifications this season. If Lillard is wholesome to initiate the season, as expected, the vital dwelling game of his second Portland chapter will occur Oct. 21 in opposition to Phoenix.
LeBron returns to L.A.
The Christmas Day slate involves LeBron James in his first game facing the Lakers in Los Angeles since he made up our minds to turn out to be a free agent and joined Philadelphia (ABC/ESPN).
Trae Young’s first game in Atlanta
As soon as an All-Star whom the Atlanta Hawks oriented their franchise around, guard Trae Young used to be traded unceremoniously to Washington final season and performed only 5 video games with the Wizards sooner than he signed a long-duration of time extension with the team this offseason. None of these video games in a Wizards uniform used to be in opposition to his worn team. Young will first play in Atlanta on Nov. 6.
How will Memphis welcome Morant?
Equivalent to Young in Atlanta, Ja Morant used to be as soon as an untouchable alternate asset when he launched to superstardom to initiate his profession in Memphis. Injuries and off-court self-discipline led the team to promote off him this offseason to Portland. Morant will first play in Memphis on Feb. 6 (Top Video).
A Knicks villain returns to Novel York
With great pictures and brash self belief, Tyrese Haliburton grew to turn out to be the player Knicks followers loved to abominate as he led Indiana previous Novel York and into the 2025 NBA Finals. After he spent all of ultimate season bettering from an Achilles tendon drag sustained in the Finals, Haliburton is determined to reach relief to Madison Square Backyard in opposition to the reigning champion Knicks on Nov. 22. Quiz boos.
Three meetings between West finalists
The Western Conference’s direction to the Finals final season used to be made up our minds by a seven-game series between Oklahoma City and San Antonio, a pair of younger competitors that can even decide the conference’s fate for years to reach, too. They are going to fulfill thrice for the length of the long-established season in video games that will straight turn out to be circled on many followers’ calendars: Oct. 20 (NBC/Peacock), Feb. 11 (Top Video) and March 14 (ABC).
Four video games between perennial playoff foes
It wouldn’t be regarded as a historical rivalry, nonetheless Denver vs. Minnesota has turn out to be most likely the most easy energetic matchups in the league after they met in the vital round thrice in the final four years. They are going to play four times in the long-established season, on Dec. 28 (NBC/Peacock), Dec. 31 (Top Video), Jan. 27 (ESPN) and March 7 (ABC).
The ‘what-if?’ video games
Few would have regarded as LeBron James a doubtless teammate of Stephen Curry’s when they confronted every other for the length of four consecutive NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018. The two almost joined forces this summer season at Golden Suppose, on the opposite hand, when James grew to turn out to be a free agent and had the chance to trail out one of the most well-known final years of the getting older superstars’ careers together. As a substitute, they continue to be on reverse sidelines, with Curry’s Warriors facing James and the 76ers twice, on March 24 and March 31.
No. 1 pick vs. No. 2
It’s no longer honest the established superstars whom followers will are looking out to peep. The first two picks in the most smartly-liked draft, Washington’s AJ Dybantsa and Utah’s Darryn Peterson, will first play Feb. 27.
Led by Wembanyama, the NBA takes Europe
Because the NBA continues to construct out its thought to operate a league in Europe, per chance as soon as subsequent year, this can even take two long-established-season video games there. San Antonio’s French-born star, Victor Wembanyama, will be showcased when the Spurs play Novel Orleans in Paris on Jan. 14 and again Jan. 17 in Manchester, England. The latter might perchance be the vital long-established-season game to be performed in Manchester, in per chance a test speed for a market that’s amongst the aptitude targets to host an NBA Europe franchise (each on Top Video).
