The 2026-27 schedule for all 30 NBA teams was released on Thursday, and like every year, it draws a lot of traffic and conversation. The most popular discussion point is almost always, “How many primetime games is each team getting?”
Going into the full schedule release, Wizards fans knew they would not be receiving as many of those coveted positions as the Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, or Los Angeles Lakers, but after how noisy their last seven months have been, the curiosity was there.
The long-suffering Wizards traded for four-time All-Star Trae Young on Jan. 9, acquired NBA 75 big Anthony Davis a month later, and were rewarded with the No. 1 overall pick in a loaded 2026 draft class. They selected AJ Dybansta a month later, and now they're finally on an upward trajectory.
The NBA schedule makers must still smell the stench of the 50-196 record the Wizards produced over the past three seasons, because they could have given them more nationally televised games for the 2026-27 campaign.
THE NBA SCHEDULE IS OUT 🚨
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) August 13, 2026
How many nationally televised games does your team have? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/5Qpk0qpl1T
The Wizards did not receive the “having the No. 1 pick” bump
Receiving just six nationally televised games is a huge letdown for both Wizards fans and even hoops fans out of the market who want to see the justifiably hyped-up No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa.
This number is a huge downgrade from the 23 nationally televised games the Dallas Mavericks were awarded in the 2025–26 season after selecting Cooper Flagg No. 1 in the 2025 draft.
This low of a number, even with the talent the Wizards have, is a tell that the league still doesn't buy the plan that general manager Will Dawkins is curating.
The Wizards could use this as motivation
A future Hall of Famer and former NBA champion like Anthony Davis can use this situation as fuel. Within a year and a half, he went from the Lakers, who are national TV mainstays, to a squad with just six such games next season. For context, that's fewer than the Los Angeles Clippers, who are expected to finish toward the bottom of the Western Conference.
Ditto for Dybantsa, who was on national television more in his freshman season at BYU than he will be as a rookie in the Association.
Wizards fans, who are awaiting a team they can be proud of, must hope that their squad makes the NBA regret this decision all season long.
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