The 2025-2026 schedules for all 30 NBA teams were announced on Thursday. The Washington Wizards will be using this upcoming season to showcase the middle phase of their rebuild. There are numerous exciting and intriguing matchups to look forward to. Here are five dates to mark on your calendar if you are plan to keep up with the Wizards this season.
2025-26 Wizards Schedule: 5 Key Dates To Mark Down
Date 1: Season Debut vs. New-Look Bucks
Washington will kick off its season in late October when it heads out to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks. Both teams are sporting new looks, with the Wizards completely overhauling their roster this offseason and the Bucks losing Giannis Antetokounmpo’s co-star, Damian Lillard. The Bucks swept the season series against the Wizards last year 3-0, including a game that followed the Kyle Kuzma–Khris Middleton trade, which occurred around the deadline.
Date 2: Home Opener Sets Off New Rivalry
The Wizards will host the Charlotte Hornets for their home opener on October 26th. This will set off the newest NBA rivalry, which features two of the best young cores in the league. Both franchises hope this season will usher in a new era of contention. Their top-ten picks, Tre Johnson and Kon Knueppel, highlight both teams’ young and rising rosters. While the Wizards didn’t do much winning last year, they swept the Hornets in the season series 4-0.
Date 3: Washington Opens NBA Cup Play in Cleveland
The Wizards will open their NBA Cup play against the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 7th. Washington has finally built a team to compete in the league’s third in-season tournament. The Wizards and Cavaliers are in very different situations heading into this season, but both teams could find themselves competing in postseason action this year. If Cleveland finishes at the top of the conference again this season, this game could be a preview of a potential first-round matchup.
Date 4: Jordan Poole Visits D.C.
The New Orleans Pelicans will head to the nation’s capital to play Washington on January 9th. This will be Jordan Poole’s first game back in the DMV since being traded to the Pelicans this offseason. This, no doubt, could become an emotional game in Washington—not just for the fans, but for Poole and the Wizards from last year as well. Poole spent two seasons in D.C. and was their leading scorer in a season that completely reshaped his career. Emotions aside, this game should be a good one.
Date 5: Ace Bailey vs. Tre Johnson
On March 5th, the Utah Jazz will head to Washington to take on the Wizards. This matchup is between the two worst teams from last season. There was plenty of drama heading into draft night. Ace Bailey was strongly rumored to be headed to Washington after stating he wasn’t interested in playing for Utah. Both Johnson and Bailey could be in the running for Rookie of the Year, adding fuel to the drama on what could’ve been a very different Wizards team if the Jazz didn’t draft Bailey.
The Last Word
Washington has plenty of games that could be tagged as important. However, these are the five with a lot of stories already surrounding them. Washington should be thrilled to show off their new-look roster, and fans should be excited to see what the future has in store.
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