The New York Knicks’ full 2026 preseason schedule has emerged after X account New York Basketball (kudos!) put together other franchises’games, giving us our first look at the reigning champs’ five-game tune-up before the start of their title defense.
The complete slate will run from Oct. 5 through Oct. 15 and feature four different opponents, three games at Madison Square Garden, and two on the road — one of them not in the USA of A.
New York will open preseason play Monday, Oct. 5, with a trip to
Philadelphia (of course) before returning home for games against two very exciting and promising teams in Washington and Minnesota. The Knicks will then finish with a home-and-home against Toronto on Oct. 13 and 15.
The final matchup was initially listed by the Raptors with a 7 p.m. ET tipoff, but NBA New York subsequently clarified that the Oct. 15 game at MSG will begin at 7:30 p.m., as corrected by the Knicks.
Knicks’ 2026 Preseason Opponents
Philadelphia 76ers: The preseason opener might also feature the most intriguing opponent on the schedule, although we all know there won’t be any NYK vs. LBJ on Oct. 5, right? Philadelphia added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown during the offseason, putting them alongside Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and perennially hurt Joel Embiid. On paper, that makes the Sixers quite the first test—even if maybe none of those five play.
Washington Wizards: New York gets its first preseason appearance at Madison Square Garden against Washington on Oct. 8. The Wizards have only lost D’Angelo Russell (if you still cared about him) while adding Deandre Ayton, Khris Middleton, and mostly AJ Dybantsa to their squad. Ever-hated Trae Young is still around, and the Wiz Kiz are my underdog to make the ECF, so I’m highly intrigued!
Minnesota Timberwolves: Minnesota visits MSG on Oct. 12, providing another meeting between two teams that went deep into last season’s playoffs. For the Knicks, it will also be their final preseason game before playing on consecutive nights north of the border. Will we get at least a glimpse of the new LaMelo Ball-Anthony Edwards backcourt? We hope!
Toronto Raptors (x2): We don’t know which sort of team the Knicks will face here. Will Kawhi Leonard play? Will he even be a member of the Raptors by the time we get to this game? Will RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley face their former team? Will Brandon Ingram or won’t he? Too many questions for which only Pablo Torre has the answers.
Knicks’ 2026 Full Preseason Schedule
Oct. 5 — at 76ers — 7 p.m. ET
Oct. 8 — vs. Wizards — 7:30 p.m. ET
Oct. 12 — vs. Timberwolves — 7:30 p.m. ET
Oct. 13 — at Raptors — 7 p.m. ET
Oct. 15 — vs. Raptors — 7:30 p.m. ET
What do you make of this, if anything at all? Are you already looking forward to anything in particular? Do you expect any spicy matchup to happen during these meaningless, early-to-mid-October games? Let us know in the comments section below!
