Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets Expected to Visit Philadelphia 76ers During NBA Preseason

With the 2021 NBA Summer League in full swing this week, the next phase of the offseason is training camp. After training camp comes the preseason. As the

With the 2021 NBA Summer League in full swing this week, the next phase of the offseason is training camp. After training camp comes the preseason. As the league gets prepared for the eventual start of the 2021-2022 season, some organizations are beginning to release their preseason schedules.

On Tuesday night, the Brooklyn Nets made their four-game preseason schedule public for the first time. They will open up the preseason with a matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers on the road on October 3. Following the opener, the Nets will then host the Milwaukee Bucks on October 8.

The third game will come on October 11 when the Nets pay a visit to the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. Although the Sixers have yet to make their preseason schedule available to the public, it's clear they'll face their Atlantic Division rivals during the four or five-game preseason schedule.

Last year, the Sixers faced the Nets three times during the 72-game condensed schedule. The first time the two teams met last year in January, the Nets were without their big three. Kevin Durant was absent due to injury, while Kyrie Irving missed the matchup for personal reasons. Meanwhile, James Harden was still playing for the Houston Rockets at the time. 

A month later, the Nets played their first of two matchups in Philly. Similar to the first game, Brooklyn was without Durant and Irving. While they did have Harden on board and playing, Harden could defeat the Sixers alone as Philly took care of business and picked up a 124-108 victory.

The third and final outing between the Sixers and the Nets happened in April. Once again, Brooklyn visited the Sixers and weren't at full strength. Durant remained out, and Harden missed the game due to injury as well. Kyrie Irving managed to play, but the Sixers took care of business, finishing the regular season up with a 2-1 record over Brooklyn last year.

Both the Sixers and the Nets are expected to be near the top of the Eastern Conference once again next season. The October 11 preseason matchup between the Sixers and the Nets might not be an exact preview of what their regular-season matchups will look like next year, but it will be an intriguing matchup to pay attention to before the games start to count. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.