Cavaliers announce preseason schedule; Sexton negotiations stalled

Aug. 10—NFL training camps are in high gear, Halloween decorations are already on store shelves and the start of the 2022-23 NBA season is just around the next corner.

The Cavaliers on Aug. 10 announced their four-game preseason schedule. They will visit the 76ers in Philadelphia on Oct. 5 and then host the 76ers on Oct. 10 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse followed by another home game Oct. 12 against the Atlanta Hawks. Their final preseason game is Oct. 14 against the Magic in Orlando.

The NBA regular season schedule will be announced later this month.

One order of business remains for the Cavaliers before training camp opens in late September. Guard Collin Sexton, a restricted free agent, remains unsigned.

The Cavaliers made a qualifying offer of $7.2 million to Sexton on June 28. The move means the Cavs would have the right to match any offer Sexton receives from another team. Free agency began July 6, and so far Sexton has received no offers other than the qualifying offer from the Cavaliers.

The longer Sexton goes without an offer from one of the NBA's 29 other teams, the more leverage he loses in contract negotiations with the Cavaliers. There is no reason for Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman to bid against himself.

Sexton suffered a season-ending knee injury last November in the 11th game of the season. He was the Cavaliers' leading scorer at the time, averaging 16 points a game.

The Cavaliers and Sexton remain far apart on extension talks, according to a report from Sam Amico of Hoopswire.com. Amico reported the Cavaliers are offering Sexton in the neighborhood of $40 million for three years. Sexton's agent, Rich Paul, is looking for $20 million annually because he believes Sexton should be paid like a starting guard. Sexton has played in 218 games with the Cavaliers. He started all but 10 of them.

Even if Sexton eventually signs with the Cavs and begins the season as a starter, he is likely to lose that role when Ricky Rubio returns from a knee injury in late December.

The Cavaliers were 37-34 after Sexton was injured last season.

Sexton led the Cavaliers in scoring in 2020-21 when he averaged 23.4 points a game. Darius Garland blossomed as a team leader last season after Sexton was injured.