1998–99 Cleveland Cavaliers season

The 1998–99 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 29th season for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the National Basketball Association. Due to a lockout, the regular season began on February 5, 1999, and was cut from 82 games to 50.

During the off-season, the Cavaliers re-signed free agent Johnny Newman, who previously played for the team during the 1986–87 season. However, after five games into the regular season, second-year star Zydrunas Ilgauskas was out with a season-ending foot injury, averaging 15.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.

At mid-season, the team traded Vitaly Potapenko to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Andrew DeClercq, and signed free agent Corie Blount, who was previously released by the Los Angeles Lakers. With a 21–18 record in mid April, the Cavaliers struggled as they posted a 7-game losing streak, and lost ten of their final eleven games of the season, finishing in seventh place in the Central Division with a 22–28 record, and missing the NBA playoffs.

Shawn Kemp averaged 20.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, while Wesley Person averaged 11.2 points per game and led the Cavaliers with 75 three-point field goals, and second-year guard Derek Anderson provided the team with 10.8 points per game off the bench. In addition, second-year guard Brevin Knight contributed 9.6 points, 7.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game, while second-year forward Cedric Henderson provided with 9.1 points per game, and DeClercq averaged 9.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in 33 games after the trade. Off the bench, Danny Ferry provided with 7.0 points per game, while Newman contributed 6.1 points per game, and Bob Sura averaged 4.3 points and 3.0 assists per game, but only shot .333 in field-goal percentage.

Kemp also finished in eleventh place in Most Valuable Player voting. However, Kemp was a shell of his former self as he reported to practice, weighing 315 lbs, and according to the team's General Manager Wayne Embry, the league listed him at 280. The Cavaliers finished 25th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 352,992 at the Gund Arena during the regular season, which was the fifth-lowest in the league.

Following the season, head coach Mike Fratello was fired after spending six seasons with the Cavaliers, while Anderson and Newman were both traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, who then dealt Newman back to the New Jersey Nets, and Blount signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Suns.