Following a busy offseason, the Kings now know when they will open the 2021-22 NBA regular season.
The NBA released the schedules for all 30 teams on Friday, and the Kings will tip off the season against the Portland Trail Blazers on Oct. 20 at the Moda Center.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
That will be the first chance for Kings fans to see No. 9 overall draft pick Davion Mitchell.
Mitchell will make his Golden 1 Center debut on Friday, Oct. 22 against the Utah Jazz.
The Kings will host the Warriors, their Northern California rival, on Oct. 24 and April 3. They will travel down Interstate 80 to face Golden State at Chase Center on Dec. 20 and Feb. 3. Mitchell will get to face off against fellow 2021 lottery picks Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.
Sacramento will get its first look at Giannis Antetokounmpo and the reigning NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 22 at Fiserv Forum.
NBA
Trade winds swirled between the Kings and Los Angeles Lakers this offseason, but Buddy Hield remained in Sacramento. He first will get to face the team he thought he was going to be dealt to on Nov. 26 at Staples Center.
No. 1 overall draft pick Cade Cunningham will lead the Detroit Pistons into Golden 1 Center on Jan. 19.
The 2021-22 regular season concludes for the Kings on April 10 against the Phoenix Suns. The Kings are hoping this is the season they end their 15-year playoff drought and are playing beyond the end of the regular season.
RELATED: Haliburton reportedly has added 10 pounds of muscle in offseason
The hopes and dreams of the franchise making the playoffs for the first time since 2005-06 rest on the shoulders of Mitchell, Hield, De'Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Richaun Holmes, Marvin Bagley and the rest of the roster.
If the group can come together and maximize its potential, they might just be able to give Sacramento a reason to cheer in late April 2022.