Eight compelling matchups to watch on the 2026-27 NBA schedule

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.

Add the ongoing Kawhi Leonard - Los Angeles Clippers salary-cap circumvention scandal and LeBron James ' last decision and it's no wonder it's called the "never boring association."

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.

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.