2004 NBA expansion draft

The expansion draft for the construction of the Charlotte Bobcats, recognized at the time as the 30th NBA franchise, was held on June 22, 2004. The Bobcats selected 19 players from other teams' unprotected players lists and constructed their squad for what was regarded at the time as their inaugural season.

This was the second time an expansion draft was held for a Charlotte NBA franchise; prior to starting the, the Bobcats reacquired the history, and name, of the original Charlotte Hornets (1988–2002) franchise. The original team had relocated to New Orleans prior to starting the, operating as the New Orleans Hornets. Prior to starting the, the New Orleans Hornets were renamed the New Orleans Pelicans, and relinquished the rights to the Hornets name and pre-New Orleans history after season's end.

Pre-draft trades
Prior to the day of the draft, the following trades were made and resulted in exchanges of future draft picks between the teams, along with a particular agreement in the expansion draft.
 * The Charlotte Bobcats acquired the second pick in the 2004 draft and agreed to select Predrag Drobnjak in the expansion draft from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for the fourth and 33rd picks in the 2004 Draft.
 * The Charlotte Bobcats agreed to select Jahidi White from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for a future first-round pick and cash considerations.

Draft-day trades
The following trades involving drafted players were made on the day of the draft.
 * The Charlotte Bobcats traded Aleksandar Pavlović to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for a lottery-protected first-round pick. This pick was ultimately executed as the #22 pick in the 2007 draft, with which the Bobcats selected Jared Dudley.
 * The Charlotte Bobcats traded Zaza Pachulia to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for the 45th pick in the 2004 Draft.