The Los Angeles Lakers will open their 2026 preseason schedule with three games against familiar Pacific Division opponents, beginning with the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at Chase Center in San Francisco.
The Warriors confirmed the matchup, marking the fourth consecutive year the two clubs will meet at Chase Center during the preseason. One night earlier, on Monday, Oct. 5, the Lakers will visit the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center, and the teams will meet again on Thursday, Oct. 8 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Golden State returns most of its core, led by Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, though All-Star forward Jimmy Butler remains sidelined while recovering from the torn ACL that ended his 2025-26 campaign. The Lakers, meanwhile, enter training camp with a revamped roster and a new leadership duo of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves following the departure of LeBron James.
Head coach Darvin Ham could use the early exhibition games to accelerate chemistry among several newcomers, including Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes. Summer League contributors Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero may also see minutes after facing Golden State in Las Vegas, where the Warriors halted the Lakers’ unbeaten run.
Sacramento’s rebuild will be in focus during the two meetings with Los Angeles, highlighted by No. 8 overall draft pick Darius Acuff. The Lakers did not face the Kings in Summer League, making the preseason their first look at the rookie guard.
Los Angeles continued adding perimeter depth ahead of camp, agreeing to a one-year, $3.3 million deal with two-time All-Defensive wing Matisse Thybulle. The 29-year-old has appeared in only 45 games over the past two seasons but has shown improvement from three-point range when healthy.
Source: Lakers Nation
