Story By: Mike McCheffy
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Washington, D.C–
The Washington Wizards have the fans of the DMV ready to roll this season. Some of these fans have been waiting until the days John Wall was drafted for a team that looks this good. With the 2026-27 out, these fans can start making plans for what they want to see this season.
Quite a few fans we talked to on schedule release night had huge concerns that the top draft pick won’t be featured on opening week. Washington was also excluded from the marquee matchups al week with the Thunder, Spurs, Celtics and Sixers all drew two primetime games each through the opening week.
Washington’s Emirates NBA Cup games will begin Oct. 30 against the Charlotte Hornets. The games will continue into November with matchups at Atlanta (Nov. 6), at Chicago (Nov. 20), and home against Boston (Nov. 24). The Emirates NBA Cup knockout round will take place with the quarterfinals on Dec. 4-5, semifinals on Dec. 8-9, and championship on Dec. 11. Teams that do not qualify for the knockout round will play additional regular season games on Dec. 6 or 7 and Dec. 10, with opponents to be determined.
Washington will make six appearances on national broadcasts this season, beginning with Peacock on Nov. 9 at Detroit. The Wizards will face the Boston Celtics twice nationally, hosting on Nov. 24 on NBC as part of the Emirates NBA Cup and on ESPN in Boston on Dec. 16. Washington’s three additional appearances will be on Jan. 12 at Philadelphia (NBC), Feb. 27 at Utah (Prime), and March 1 at Phoenix (Peacock).
So, what are your thoughts on this first half of the schedule? Can they stay above .500 before the All Star Break? With this roster if everyone stays healthy, this could be one of the most exciting rosters since John Wall was drafted… except for more pieces of the puzzle are in place for a much better team to carry them to the promise land.
The Wizards will start the preseason against the NBA Champs October 8th.
| WASHINGTON WIZARDS 2026 PRESEASON SCHEDULE | ||||
| Thursday, Oct. 8 | New York Knicks | Madison Square Garden | New York, NY | 7:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, Oct. 10 | Detroit Pistons | Capital One Arena | Washington, D.C. | 7:00 p.m. |
| Monday, Oct. 12 | Brooklyn Nets | Capital One Arena | Washington, D.C. | 7:00 p.m. |
| Friday, Oct. 16 | New Orleans Pelicans | Smoothie King Center | New Orleans, LA | 8:00 p.m. |
