Free-agent shooting guard Roger Mason Jr. will not be returning to the Washington Wizards next season. Instead, he'll be heading to the New Orleans Hornets, according to reports from Yahoo! Sports' Marc Spears and the Washington Post's Michael Lee.
Contract details have not been released yet, but previous reports indicated that Mason was not so inclined to return to the Wizards on a one-year minimum contract for the second straight year. One would think that the Hornets offered Mason more money or more years, though that remains to be seen.
UPDATE: Nope, they didn't. Mason will sign for the veteran's minimum for one year. Clearly, the Wizards didn't want him back that much, unless he really believes New Orleans is further ahead in their rebuilding effort than Washington is.
Mason had a bounce-back year in Washington after struggling with the Knicks, hitting 38 percent of his three-pointers and emerging as a solid locker-room voice. However, the Wizards seem disinclined to sign anyone for much more than the minimum, so they probably didn't want to meet Mason's asking price.
I would still expect to see the Wizards sign someone to replace Mason. The obvious choice is former 76ers guard Jodie Meeks, who told HoopsWorld that the Wizards, Lakers and Bucks were the three finalists for his services.