Finally, it's almost time for the full 2026-27 NBA schedule to be revealed.
There's still plenty of offseason to go, but getting a look at the early matchups of the year deserves excitement. It's going to be a fun season.
Early Tuesday morning, the NBA revealed their marquee opening night matchups, as well as who will be facing off against each other on Christmas Day. Neither the Atlanta Hawks nor the Washington Wizards were among the groups.
Two young, exciting teams with no shortage of connections and individual storylines would make for a perfect early-season matchup. If the league wants do it right, they'll have Atlanta host Washington for each squad's first game.
Trae Young would finally make his highly-anticipated return to Atlanta
Following January's controversial trade sending Young to the Wizards and CJ McCollum to the Hawks, the biggest storyline - Trae Young's revenge game - didn't get to come to fruition.
Young, dealing with an injury suffered in the final days of his Atlanta tenure, didn't make his Washington debut until March 5. He didn't suit up against his former team in his first half-season with his new one.
Now, heading into his ninth NBA season and first full one as a Washington Wizard, Young is bound to make his return to Atlanta sooner rather than later. Why not go ahead and schedule it for opening night?
On the Hawks' side of things, McCollum may feel motivated to go off against his former team, as well.
At first, the sentiment around the league was that he was headed to Atlanta only as salary filler so Washington could take on Young. Since the trade, he's carved out an invaluable role in the Hawks' nightly offensive attack.
An opening night duel wouldn't just be headlined by last season's trade, either.
The debuts of AJ Dybantsa and Kingston Flemings would generate buzz
Dybantsa went first-overall to the Wizards, while Flemings fell to the Hawks at ten.
Each player, however, feels as if they have a chip on their shoulder. Dybantsa wants to prove he was undoubtedly the best in his class, and Flemings wants to make teams regret letting him drop to the back-half of the top ten.
Trae Young's highly-anticipated return to Atlanta. CJ McCollum aiming to make his former team doubt their in-season gamble. Alex Sarr showing why he refused to work out for the Hawks ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft. Two top rookies making their NBA debuts. The list goes on.
There is a very obvious opening night matchup for the Hawks that I pray the league doesn’t miss out on the chance of scheduling
— Zach Langley (@ZachLangleyNBA) August 11, 2026
Oh yeah, it would also feature Anthony Davis - the star big heavily-linked to the Hawks last season - suiting up in a Wizards uniform for the first time.
Come on, NBA. This one is obvious. The Atlanta Hawks should host the Washington Wizards on opening night.
Add us as a preferred source on Google