CLEVELAND — Following a breakthrough 2021-22 season, we now know when the Cleveland Cavaliers will be back on the court.
On Wednesday, the Cavs announced their 2022 preseason schedule, which will begin with a road game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 5. After that, Cleveland will host the 76ers on Oct. 10 and Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 12 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, before closing out their exhibition schedule on Oct. 14 on the road against the Orlando Magic.
All four of the Cavs' preseason games will tip off at 7 p.m. ET.
For the first time since LeBron James left in 2018, Cleveland enters a season with lofty expectations. With point guard Darius Garland and center Jarrett Allen earning All-Star honors and 2021 No. 3 overall pick Evan Mobley being unanimously selected to the All-Rookie first-team, the Cavs amassed a 44-38 record, good for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland, however, fell short of returning to a postseason series, with losses to the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks eliminating the Cavs in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Thus far, Cleveland has enjoyed a relatively quiet offseason, re-signing veteran point guard Ricky Rubio and selecting Kansas swingman Ochai Agbaji with the No. 14 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The Cavs also signed Garland to a five-year, $193 million extension -- the largest contract in franchise history. Cleveland currently remains in negotiations with restricted free agent shooting guard Collin Sexton, who missed most of the 2021-22 NBA season after suffering a torn meniscus last November.