Wizards preseason opens Oct. 8 at Madison Square Garden

Preseason — Wizards at Knicks

The Washington Wizards open the 2026-27 preseason on Thursday, Oct. 8.

ESPN / club release lock a four-game exhibition slate: at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m. ET, Madison Square Garden; then home dates vs Detroit (Oct. 10, 7:00) and Brooklyn (Oct. 12, 7:00) at Capital One Arena; then at New Orleans (Oct. 16, 8:00) at Smoothie King Center. Confirm broadcasts on the club board as tips approach.

Preseason will not rewrite last year’s 17-65 memory by itself. It will sort minutes among the veterans named in the NBA.com preview and the young core Dawkins keeps pointing toward — especially with Sarr expected to ramp from partial camp participation toward opening night.

Locked slate (ESPN / club release)

| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | Venue |

| --- | --- | --- | --- |

| Thu. Oct. 8 | at New York Knicks | 7:30 p.m. | Madison Square Garden |

| Sat. Oct. 10 | vs Detroit | 7:00 p.m. | Capital One Arena |

| Mon. Oct. 12 | vs Brooklyn | 7:00 p.m. | Capital One Arena |

| Fri. Oct. 16 | at New Orleans | 8:00 p.m. | Smoothie King Center |

MSG is a loud place to start dress rehearsals. Cap One’s two home exhibitions are the nights DMV fans will actually see early combinations under the lights before the Oct. 21 Milwaukee opener.

Watch who shares the floor with Young and Davis in those Cap One dates — that is the real preseason story, not the exhibition scores.

Sport DMV read

Four games to sort a crowded wing and a ramping Sarr — start the clock at MSG on Oct. 8. Cap One gets Detroit and Brooklyn next; those are the looks locals should use to judge whether “season of growth” has a rotation attached.

The Wizards page is the hub.

*Monday morning desk, Sep. 28, 2026. Analysis refresh. Times from ESPN schedule.*