The NBA Draft is in the distant past. Free agency is largely complete, and no major trades seem imminent. Summer League is in the rearview mirror, and now even the Summer Olympics are over. For fans of the NBA, this is the quiet portion of the offseason.
Or at least it would be, if the release of the NBA schedule were not imminent. The league knows what it's doing, waiting until the dead space of August to drop the schedule and gets fans engaged and excitied. The Toronto Raptors are now waiting with the rest of the league to learn who they will play this season and when those games will take place.
When will the 2024-25 NBA schedule be released?
Cookie crumbs are being placed along the path, with a few marquee matchups already leaked. Opening night will feature the champion Boston Celtics hosting the New York Knicks, a ratings dream, and the Minnesota Timberwolves playing in Los Angeles against the Lakers. The Finals rematch dates have been reported on, as well as some other significant showdowns, such as the Klay Thompson return game and the opening of the LA Clippers' new arena.
The Christmas Day schedule is also public, with the Raptors unsurprisingly left off the ten-team slate. They have only played on December 25 twice in franchise history, once in 2019 coming off of their championship and once in 2001 when Vince Carter was at the height of his dunking prowess.
When can the Raptors know their schedule? Recent NBA history suggests that the schedule is coming soon. Last year the NBA announced the schedule on August 17, the same as 2022. The year before that is was released on August 20. That would seem to suggest the schedule is coming in the next week.
NBA Insider Marc Stein helped to narrow the focus with a recent Tweet. After the league announces the matchups for the NBA Cup on Tuesday, the full schedule is expected to follow shortly after.
Expect the 2024-25 NBA Schedule to be released on Thursday, August 15
The NBA has often allowed individual teams to exert creativity over their own schedule releases, coordinating the timing but otherwise allowing the marketing and social media teams for each franchise to choose the delivery method. Last year the Raptors merely had a press release with the schedule, while other teams made interactive websites or posted videos revealing key dates.
ESPN's NBA Today will likely have the opportunity to go live as the schedule is released, as they are currently the league's daytime flagship show. That may mean the schedule is going to drop around 3 or 4pm ET on Thursday, further narrowing the target window.
Regardless of the exact timing, Raptors fans are just days away from knowing the schedule for their team, and for all 30 clubs in the association. Get those calendars ready to mark.