FOR the second straight year, the NBL will announce a series of preseason games to be played against NBA teams; this time, featuring five different NBL teams across seven games, multiple sources briefed on the fixtures told foxsports.com.au.

Melbourne United, the Perth Wildcats, Sydney Kings, New Zealand Breakers, and Adelaide 36ers will be involved in 2018’s ‘NBL x NBA’ event, sources said, while six different NBA teams will take part.

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Newly-crowned Rookie of the Year, Ben Simmons, and his Philadelphia 76ers will face United, the defending NBL Champions; while Joe Ingles, Danté Exum — assuming he remains after restricted free agency — and the Utah Jazz will appear in two of the games: one against the Wildcats, and one against the 36ers, sources said.

The following games are set to take place, according to those with knowledge of the fixtures (times are ET):

— September 28: Melbourne United vs Philadelphia 76ers, at Wells Fargo Center.

— September 29: Perth Wildcats vs Utah Jazz, at Vivint Smart Home Arena.

— September 30: Sydney Kings vs Los Angeles Clippers, at Stan Sheriff Center.

— October 3: New Zealand Breakers vs Phoenix Suns, at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

— October 5: Perth Wildcats vs Denver Nuggets, at Pepsi Center.

— October 5: Melbourne United vs Toronto Raptors, at Scotiabank Arena.

— October 5: Adelaide 36ers vs Utah Jazz, at Vivint Smart Home Arena.

The first of the seven games is set to tip off on September 28, 2018, one source said, with the fixtures expected to run through to the middle of October.

This series of games is the latest in the NBL’s ever-growing relationship with the NBA, with the two leagues working together on preseason games in 2017. The Kings, United, and Brisbane Bullets all suffered losses at the hands of NBA teams in October of last year, in what was the first ‘NBL x NBA’ series.

Entering 2018’s event, the Kings will be revamped, having added long-time NBA centre, Andrew Bogut, while retaining the likes of Jerome Randle and Kevin Lisch.

The Clippers will ‘host’ the Kings in Hawaii, marking the second straight season that features the NBA team in Honolulu, after Doc Rivers’ team spent last season’s training camp on the island, staging two preseason games against the Toronto Raptors at the Stan Sheriff Center, on the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

United, who are coming off their first NBL title as a franchise, will play in the more high profile games. The first is against Simmons and the 76ers, which also features All-Star big-man, Joel Embiid, with the team led by former Australian national team head coach, Brett Brown. United’s other game is against the Toronto Raptors, who, despite their continued postseason woes, finished the 2017-18 regular season with the best record in the Eastern Conference.

The Wildcats will feature in two games, after not appearing in any in 2017, despite coming off back-to-back NBL Championships. Trevor Gleeson’s team will go up against the internationally flavoured Jazz, as well as the Nuggets.

The new-look Breakers will meet with the Suns in Phoenix, while the 36ers get the opportunity to face South Australia’s Ingles and the Jazz.

Chris Goulding re-signed with United. Source: News Corp Australia

The NBL’s connection with the NBA has only grown of late — due to the work of Executive Director, Larry Kestelman; and CEO, Jeremy Loeliger — with Bogut’s arrival in Australia’s league just the latest achievement.

Previously, it was evident with former Bullets wing, Torrey Craig, playing 39 games for the Denver Nuggets over the course of the 2017-18 regular season, while a plethora of NBL players — led by the likes of Bryce Cotton, Mitch Creek, and Nathan Sobey — played Summer League basketball in July of 2017.

There’s also the case of Terrance Ferguson, who decided to forgo his college career to sign with the Adelaide 36ers, and was subsequently selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 21st overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. On the back of Ferguson’s stint in the NBL, the league began its ‘Next Stars’ initiative, targeting potential one-and-done athletes.

The NBL tweeted that it will make an announcement on these fixtures at 10am (AEST), on Wednesday, June 27.

Those who spoke with foxsports.com.au did so under the condition of anonymity, in order to discuss the topic candidly.

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Olgun Uluc covers basketball for Fox Sports Australia. Twitter: @OlgunUluc