200405 Atlanta Hawks season

The 2004–05 NBA season marked the Atlanta Hawks' 56th year in the league and their 37th season in Atlanta. The team made significant moves during the offseason, including drafting Josh Childress from Stanford with the sixth pick and high school star Josh Smith with the seventeenth pick. They also hired Mike Woodson as head coach and acquired several players: All-Star forward Antoine Walker, Tony Delk from the Dallas Mavericks, Al Harrington from the Indiana Pacers, and Predrag Drobnjak from the expansion Charlotte Bobcats. Additionally, they signed free agents Kenny Anderson and re-signed Jon Barry and Kevin Willis. The season started poorly with a 2–12 record in November. In December, they traded Barry to the Houston Rockets for Tyronn Lue. Midseason saw Walker traded back to his former team, the Boston Celtics, for Gary Payton, Tom Gugliotta, and Michael Stewart, though Payton never played for the Hawks. Anderson was released and signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Hawks' performance deteriorated further, losing 32 of their final 35 games and finishing with a league-worst 13–69 record, the worst in franchise history. Al Harrington led the team with averages of 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Despite their struggles, Josh Smith won the Slam Dunk Contest during the All-Star Weekend, and both Smith and Childress were named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Postseason saw Boris Diaw traded to the Phoenix Suns for Joe Johnson. Willis and Gugliotta retired, with Willis briefly returning to play for the Dallas Mavericks before retiring ...