The start of the 2026-27 NBA regular season is still more than two months away, but Miami Heat fans can already smell meaningful basketball in the air again. It's been more than two years since the Heat have been much of a threat in the Eastern Conference, but all that is about to change after the summer of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
And now that the NBA's regular season schedule has been released, Heat fans' hype heading into the new year is going to reach a fever pitch. Piggybacking off that line of thinking, here are five dates, including Tyler Herro's return, that Heat fans should have circled already.
Giannis' Heat debut - October 21
We have to start off with Giannis' regular-season debut. Sure, there will be much anticipation for the pre-season, but the home opener for the Heat is going to be on another level. Miami opens the season at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which will give Heat fans their first taste of meaningful basketball with Giannis.
Who knows what Giannis' time in Miami will ultimately hold, but there's no question that fans will be expecting the best of him during that first game.
Giannis returns to Milwaukee - January 28
I can't imagine that the Milwaukee Bucks fans are going to give the LeBron James return-to-Cleveland treatment as they did back in 2010 when Giannis makes his return, but maybe time could help some of that hostility grow. Even though Giannis did deliver a championship to the Bucks, that situation didn't end on the best of terms.
Either way, whether there's the added hostility or not, Giannis' return to Milwaukee is going to be must-see TV. Add in the element of the Heat's players also getting their grudge-match opportunity, and this becomes that much bigger (and more intriguing) contest.
Tyler Herro's (and other Heat players) return - November 18
As much intrigue as there will be in Milwaukee for Giannis' return, I'd imagine the same could be said in Miami for Tyler Herro's return. There's some added juice with Kel'el Ware and Jaime Jaquez Jr. in the mix too. However, especially with how the Herro era ended in Miami, it will be interesting to see how this battle is settled.
Let's also not forget the bad blood between Bam Adebayo and Herro, which will add even more intrigue to this first matchup back in Miami.
First shot at the champs - November 27
There's not going to be any better way for the Giannis-led Heat to measure themselves against the best than that first matchup against the defending NBA Champions. It just also happens to be Giannis' first game in Madison Square Garden in a Heat uniform.
As the kids say, the Auora is going to be through the roof for this matchup. As a nationally televised game on Amazon Prime, this is one of those regular season games that is going to get juiced.
Heat's return to Christmas Day - December 25
Now that the Heat are back on Christmas Day, it does seem as if things are right in the world again. As an added bonus, the Heat will get to face off against their bitter rival, the Boston Celtics. Even without the Christmas Day element, this is a matchup that, in its own right, would get plenty of attention.
Add in the Christmas Day festivities, and this is shaping up to be one of the best matchups of the year on paper.
As expected, there's much intrigue heading into the 2026-27 NBA season for the Heat. Even if the success of the Giannis era doesn't come early, there will certainly still be plenty of storylines to keep fans entertained until they get it right on the court.
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