There’s never a shortage of drama in the NBA.
The last three months alone saw Victor Wembanyama nearly anointed as the face of the league, the Championship return to the Mecca of basketball for the first time since 1973, and a dizzying swapping of star power in the Eastern Conference.
Now, with the NBA announcing its full schedule for the upcoming season on Thursday, let’s look at which matchups offer the most compelling storylines.
Western Conference titans open the season with a bang
Oct. 20: Thunder @ Spurs at 7 p.m. ET
Last season’s Western Conference finals were widely considered to be the NBA finals. Between the Oklahoma City Thunder’s dominance and the seemingly unsolvable problems presented by San Antonio Spurs sensation Wembanyama, it seemed certain one of the two teams would come out on top. Our Sportsnet NBA experts certainly thought so. However, the New York Knicks went on an all-time heater to play spoiler. Now these two juggernauts, fronted by two MVP candidates, will be hungry as ever when they tip off on opening night.
Kawhi Leonard’s first visit back home
Nov. 2: Raptors @ Clippers at 10 p.m. ET
The Kawhi Leonard saga has stretched out over 11 months now, and it’s safe to say that all parties involved aspire to a swift resolution. If the previously agreed-upon and currently on-hold trade for Leonard between the Raptors and Clippers goes ahead, as Sportsnet’s Michael Grange proposes is the most likely outcome, Leonard will make an early visit back to the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., on Nov. 2. If not, Leonard could very well still be a member of the Clippers. Larry David might be a Knicks fan, but cue the Curb Your Enthusiasm music.
“I’m coming home” (to visit)
Nov. 6: 76ers @ Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. ET
Instead of concluding his second and final decision, and likely his career, where it all started, James instead chose to blaze a fresh closing chapter of his legacy with the Philadelphia 76ers, who haven’t made the Eastern Conference finals in 25 years. A full-circle finish would have been poetic, but bringing a championship to a rabid fanbase that’s starved for one would also be meaningful, and the 76ers’ stacked roster could do it. The kid from Akron may have to go through his home-state team on the way.
Christmas Day Finals rematch
Dec. 25: Spurs @ Knicks at 12 p.m. ET
Last season’s finals were full of fascinating tactical matchups, jaw-dropping plays and a few humiliating gaffes on the Spurs’ side. They’ll get a chance to redeem themselves at Madison Square Garden in a marquee Christmas Day matchup. Last time Wembanyama played against the Knicks at MSG on Christmas in 2024, he authored a gargantuan 42-point, 18-rebound performance.
Jaylen Brown’s return to Beantown
Jan. 21: 76ers @ Celtics at 8 p.m. ET
The jaw-dropping trade that sent Brown to Philadelphia for aging star Paul George and a few draft picks has been a lot to process for the 29-year-old star. The Celtics drafted him as a teenager, and he won a championship and Finals MVP there in 2024 as Boston appeared to be budding into a dynasty. Fast forward a couple of years, and the Celtics are trying to cobble together just enough to remain in contention while the 76ers boast one of the most fearsome projected starting fives (Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Brown, James, Joel Embiid) in the league. Add the reported tension between Brown and the Celtics, including former co-star Jayson Tatum, and this matchup is sure to entertain.
Giannis brings the Heat to Wisconsin
Jan 28: Heat @ Bucks at 9:30 p.m. ET
Antetokounmpo’s split from the Milwaukee Bucks may have been prolonged and more amicable than Browns’ from the Celtics, but not by much. The longtime franchise icon and Bucks fans exchanged boos during a 33-point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 13 last season. The superstar also said he was “healthy and ready to play” while the team sat him, citing injury. However, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the two sides worked together to find a resolution amidst the animosity. The side plot here is the off-season altercation between former Heat teammates Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Adebayo apparently struck Herro — who was part of the trade package exchanged for Antetokounmpo in the face at an AAU practice in Las Vegas on July 10. The feud was apparently sparked by comments Herro made on social media. Bearing all this in mind, this mid-winter meeting is sure to be a fiery affair.
Clash of Rookie of the Year candidates
Feb. 27: Wizards @ Jazz at 3 p.m. ET
First- and second-overall picks AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson already duelled it out in Summer League, scoring 27 and 24 points, respectively. The pair are among the favourites for Rookie of the Year, and if that continues to track into the back half of the season, their first regular-season meeting could be a head-to-head matchup amid the race for the award. Peterson told reporters that being passed over by the Wizards for No. 1 overall in the draft will “always be in my mind for my whole career.” This will be his first chance to show Washington what they missed out on first hand.
Doncic’s D-Town birthday
Feb. 28: Lakers @ Mavericks at 3:30 p.m. ET
Even though the infamous Luka Doncic trade is nearly one-and-a-half years in the past, its reverberations can still be felt rippling through the league, particularly in the heart of Texas. The ensuing fallout, from fans chanting “Fire Nico,” to it actually happening, to winning the lottery and replacing Doncic with the new face of the franchise, Cooper Flagg, was a whirlwind. The Mavericks underwent more turmoil than any team in the league for a stretch. While time heals all, some of those feelings are sure to come bubbling to the surface when Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers visit Dallas on his 28th birthday.