Overview

• Opening night is October 21 with a doubleheader: the Rockets visit the Thunder at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock, and the Warriors visit the Lakers.
• The Emirates NBA Cup enters knockout play December 9–10 and crowns a champion December 16 on Amazon Prime, with a five-game Christmas slate airing on ABC/ESPN.
• The trade deadline is February 5 at 3 p.m. ET, and All-Star Weekend runs February 13–15 at Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome in a reported three-team format with two U.S. squads and one international team.
• Ballislife’s breakout list highlights Andrew Nembhard and Amen Thompson stepping into lead guard roles after season-ending injuries to Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) and Fred VanVleet (ACL), along with rising talents like Matas Buzelis and Alex Sarr.
• Yahoo’s team previews detail Phoenix’s post–Kevin Durant overhaul toward a younger, defense-oriented identity with additions Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, while questioning Toronto’s trajectory with an expensive core stuck in the middle.