[1] After finishing the previous year with a league-worst 21–61 record, the Magic won the NBA Draft Lottery for the third time in franchise history, and selected high school star Dwight Howard with the first overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft.
During the offseason, the Magic acquired All-Star guard Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley from the Houston Rockets,[2] and signed free agent Hedo Turkoglu.
However, head coach Johnny Davis was fired after a 31–33 start, and was replaced with Chris Jent.
The Magic finished third in the Southeast Division with a 36–46 record, a 15-game improvement from the previous season.
Grant Hill finally played a full season with the Magic averaging 19.7 points per game, while being selected to play in the 2005 NBA All-Star Game, his first All-Star selection since 2000.