The Los Angeles Clippers are this upcoming 2023-24 season is finally their year. Training camp will kick off in Hawaii, and the team will play its first game of the regular season against Scoot Henderson, Damian Lillard, and the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Clippers are slated to tip off their regular season at home on October 25th, 2023, which will come against an interesting Blazers squad, per Sean Highkin.

As it stands, Portland still has Damian Lillard on their roster, and they’re expected to keep him until the right deal presents itself for the seven-time NBA All-Star.

Lillard requested a trade from the Blazers on the first day of free agency — July 1, 2023. Despite multiple reports of his desire to play only with the Miami Heat, no trade has materialized, and Blazers GM Joe Cronin said the team is willing to go into the regular season with Damian Lillard on the roster should they need to.

Portland also drafted Scoot Henderson with the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and never wavered on keeping him despite multiple trade rumors involving the pick.

The Clippers, meanwhile, remain in the rumor mill involving disgruntled Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden. The Sixers planned to try and make it work with Harden after taking him off the trade block, and then the 10-time All-Star went off on his China tour and said he’ll never play for a team with Daryl Morey on it again.

Things could look very different between now and opening night. Both Damian Lillard and James Harden requested trades with only one destination in mind. No trade has materialized for either team. Will Lillard still be a member of the Blazers by opening night? Will Harden finally get his wish and be traded to the Clippers?

In addition to opening night, the Clippers also have four other dates already set in November. The NBA is introducing the in-season tournament this year, and LA is in West Group B along with the Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, Houston Rockets, and defending NBA Champion Denver Nuggets.

The full 2023-24 NBA regular season schedule will drop on Thursday, August 17th at 12PM PST/3PM EST on ESPN’s NBA Today show.