Celtics to face Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier in first game of 2021-2022 season

This morning, the New York Knicks introduced two of their newest members to the media, former Celtics Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier. Walker was traded to Oklahoma City, bought out by the Thunder, and signed with his hometown team. We learned today that instead of straight out joining the Knicks in free agency, Boston and New York completed a sign-and-trade that created another $17.1 million TPE for the Celtics.

At the introductory press conference, Walker said, “I definitely feel like Boston believed in me, but they traded me. So, you know. I don’t think that they didn’t believe in me... My home team, the Knicks, they believed in me.”

Well, on October 20th, Walker will welcome his former team to Madison Square Garden to open the 2021-2022 season.

The league announced today some marquee matchups for Opening Week and Christmas Day. In addition to starting the season in New York, the Celtics will also be on the road on Christmas Day to face the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks.

For those looking for some Celtics action sooner rather than later, Boston is in the Summer League championship game against the Sacramento Kings tonight at 9 pm ET. The preseason schedule has not been officially released but they will start exhibition games at home on October 4th against the Magic, complete a home-and-home in Orlando on the 13th, and wrap up a training camp trip to Florida in Miami on the 15th.

The remainder of the NBA schedule will be released at 3 pm on Friday.