With training camps set to open later this month, it is worth a reminder that the 2026-27 season carries its own midseason tournament again this year. All 30 teams were randomly drawn into six groups of five, split by conference, based on each team’s record from the 2025-26 regular season.
2026-27 NBA Season
Rival Teams Still Watching Kyrie Irving’s Situation in Dallas, Per Report
Rival teams believe the Dallas Mavericks could revisit their stance on trading Kyrie Irving once the regular season begins and the February trade deadline approaches, according to veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein. Stein wrote that Dallas has “consistently swatted away trade interest” in Irving throughout the offseason. Even so, he reported, rival teams “continue to wonder aloud about how firmly Dallas will stick to that stance.”
NBA Season Start 2026: Key Dates for the 2026-27 Season
The 2026-27 NBA regular season starts Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. Training camps open Sept. 22-29, preseason games begin Oct. 3, and the calendar runs through Christmas Day, the Feb. 11 trade deadline, All-Star Weekend and the April play-in tournament before the playoffs. Every confirmed date is below, along with the handful of dates the league has not announced yet.
ESPN Projects Spurs to Finish 62-20 Again, Tied for Best Record in the West
ESPN’s latest projections for the 2026-27 season have the San Antonio Spurs finishing 62-20, tied for the best projected record in the league and first in the Western Conference. That mirrors the Spurs’ actual record from last season, when they won 62 games and reached the 2026 NBA Finals before losing to the New York Knicks in five games. ESPN’s forecast has Oklahoma City close behind at a projected 60-22, with the network describing the West as running through either the Thunder or the Spurs.
Reports: Trail Blazers Guard Shaedon Sharpe to Miss Six Months With Torn Meniscus
Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe suffered a torn meniscus in his knee and is expected to miss approximately six months, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The injury was independently reported by Sean Highkin of The Athletic, who detailed its impact on Portland’s plans heading into training camp. No official injury report or timeline has been issued by the Trail Blazers as of this writing, so the six-month window is a reported estimate rather than a team-confirmed target.