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Cavs Questions: Preseason Tips Off With Watson's Return Date

Cleveland's still 0-0, but the real clock starts in 16 days. Here's what camp settles first.

5 questions
By the Cavaliers Nightly Desk · Tuesday, October 6

The Cavaliers are still 0-0, with nothing new to report in the last day and a half. The preseason opens Thursday against the Celtics, the same day Peyton Watson is targeted to return from his hamstring injury.

Cavaliers Nightly artwork
Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

When do the Cavaliers actually play a game?

Thursday, Oct. 8, against the Celtics opens the preseason. Cleveland plays Orlando twice after that, Oct. 11 and Oct. 13, both airing nationally. The schedule that counts starts Oct. 22 against the 76ers. Four games stand between today and a result that matters.

Does Peyton Watson play Thursday?

Watson is day-to-day with a right hamstring injury, and his estimated return is Oct. 8, the same night Cleveland opens the preseason against the Celtics. No update has come since the injury was first listed. If the timeline holds, he's back for game one; if it slips, camp's most-watched name sits again.

What's the story on Harden heading into year two with Mitchell?

Fear The Sword's season preview asked what year two looks like for James Harden in Cleveland. Last season, his first with the Cavaliers, the 37-year-old averaged 23.6 points and 8.0 assists over 70 games. He's back at 37, in his 17th year, next to Donovan Mitchell, who posted 27.9 points and 5.7 assists of his own. Camp will show if that pairing holds up again.

How thin is Cleveland's draft cupboard right now?

Thin. Cleveland's 2027, 2028 and 2029 first-round picks are all tied up in swaps, and the seconds in those same years are owed to the Bulls, Jazz and Hawks. The 2030 first is the only pick on the books Cleveland owns outright; the 2030 second is owed to the Spurs. Any future move needing draft capital waits.

Has anything actually changed in the last day?

No. There's no new transaction, no new injury update, and no new reporting in the last 36 hours. The only thing that moved is the calendar: camp is two days from its first preseason test, and the questions about Watson's hamstring and the four September additions' roles sit exactly where they were.

The verdictNothing's official yet, but the Oct. 8 opener doubles as Watson's target return and the first real look at this roster. Everything else, Richmond's role, Hezonja's rumors, the Harden-Mitchell encore, waits for actual minutes.
When do the Cavaliers play their first preseason game?

Thursday, Oct. 8, against the Celtics, with the regular-season opener set for Oct. 22 against the 76ers.

Is Peyton Watson expected back for the opener?

He's day-to-day with a right hamstring injury and targeted to return Oct. 8, the same day as Cleveland's preseason opener against Boston.

By the Cavaliers Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

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