The NBA is wasting no time showcasing the Los Angeles Lakers vs. LA Clippers rivalry, as they will be one of the games on opening night.
The Los Angeles Lakers always draw plenty of attention. Despite missing the playoffs for a sixth straight season, they dominated headlines even after their season ended against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Magic Johnson started the carousel when he stepped down from his president of basketball operations position hours before the season finale. Luke Walton and the team parted ways days after that, leaving the Lakers without key people in important positions.
Despite how rocky of a start they got off to, the Lakers finished the offseason strongly. Rob Pelinka proved a lot of naysayers wrong, putting a strong team around LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma, the only two players that were under contract heading into the offseason. They were the only two because of a blockbuster trade that was completed.
The Lakers acquired Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans to give the organization the second star Magic Johnson had set out to acquire. Despite being spurned by Kawhi Leonard, who signed with the LA Clippers, Pelinka still managed to get a strong roster with players such as Danny Green, DeMarcus Cousins and Avery Bradley.
Not to be outdone, the Clippers also pulled off a big trade. They landed Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder to give them two superstars of their own. That is a matchup everyone will want to see this season, and fans won’t have to wait long.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Lakers and Clippers are going to play on opening night.
Expected opening night of 2019-20 NBA season: Oct. 22, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 3, 2019
Planned games for opening night: Los Angeles Lakers/LA Clippers and Toronto Raptors/New Orleans Pelicans.
The Lakers and Clippers are one of the marquee matchups this season for the NBA, so it should come as no surprise that the league will waste little time in getting them on national television. It was also announced that the Battle of LA will take place during the Christmas Day slate as well.
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The second game is a bit of a bigger surprise. Having the defending champion Toronto Raptors on opening night makes sense, as they can receive their championship rings. However, their opponent is surprising.
They will be taking on the new-look Pelicans. When Davis requested a trade from the organization, many people thought that would be the end of the Pelicans for a while. That is not the case at all.
New Orleans had the No. 1 pick and selected Zion Williamson, who gives them a star to build around immediately. They also have former top picks Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, who were both acquired from the Lakers in the Davis trade, to build around as well.
All four of these teams will also be playing on Christmas Day. The Raptors will be hosting the Boston Celtics, while the Pelicans will be traveling to take on the Denver Nuggets.
The NBA is a star-driven league and they want to feature those stars and teams. They will be doing that starting on opening night.