The Atlanta Hawks franchise has rarely been a participant in the tanking sweepstakes in recent history, as the team went to 10 straight playoffs before going 34 games under .500 this season and finishing with the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
The last time the Hawks had the best lottery odds was in 2005, following a horrendous 13-69 season. Despite that terrible campaign, the team did not win the lottery, but rather scored the 2nd overall pick. The Milwaukee Bucks, who won 17 more games than the Hawks that season, got the number one overall pick.