There have been trades, free agent signings, and coaching changes galore since the 2020-21 regular season came to a close in June. Russell Westbrook was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls signed Lonzo Ball on a 4-year, $85 million-deal, while the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns re-signed Kawhi Leonard and Chris Paul, respectively.
No fewer than 7 teams will head into the new season with a new coach in charge, most notably the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers. At the former, Brad Stevens hired Ime Udoka as his own replacement after being promoted to president of basketball operations, while the latter hired Rick Carlisle – who resigned from the Dallas Mavericks after 13 years in charge – for a second stint after parting ways with Nate Bjorkgren after just 1 season.
Pre-season begins on 3 October as the 30 NBA teams continue their preparations for the new campaign. These warm-up matches give teams the chance to fine-tune their tactics and fitness ahead of the competitive games, while for fans these fixtures are often much more affordable than in the regular season.
After the 2020-21 season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this campaign will return to a full 82-game season from 19 October to 10 April, although the league will retain the new Play-In Tournament, giving the teams ranked 7th through 10th in each conference the chance to secure a Playoff berth. The Playoffs will then run from 16 April to 19 June.