Chris Paul scored 23 points and the New Orleans Hornets closed the game with a 13-0 run to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 88-79 on Saturday.

Byron Mullens? two free throws remaining with 5:05 left gave the Thunder (0-2) a 79-75 lead. But Paul, who came in with 3:45 remaining after sitting out much of the fourth quarter, scored five points down the stretch to give the Hornets their first win of the preseason.

Devin Brown added 13 points and was the only other Hornets player in double figures. Jeff Green scored 15 points and Nenad Krstic 14 for the Thunder. Serge Ibaka added 12 points.

Kevin Durant had 11 points but struggled from the field, making 2 of 11 attempts.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)—Free agent Desmond Mason will not be returning to the Oklahoma City Thunder next season.

Mason’s agent, Roger Montgomery, confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday night that talks between the nine-year NBA veteran and the Thunder had broken down and the two sides wouldn’t be agreeing on a new contract.

Mason was one of the Thunder’s most popular players after playing in college at Oklahoma State and later returning to Oklahoma City when the New Orleans Hornets spent most of two seasons in the city after Hurricane Katrina. He had expressed his desire to remain in Oklahoma City after a hyper extended right knee forced him to miss the second half of last season.

Montgomery said the two sides weren’t able to agree on a role for Mason, who still wants to make significant contributions.

“Desmond is not ready to be relegated to a cheerleader and relegated to a mentor for the younger players,” Montgomery said. “Desmond’s got a lot left in the tank.”

Mason burst onto the scene as a rookie by winning the 2001 slam dunk contest as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics. He’s also had two separate stints with the Milwaukee Bucks and has averaged 12.2 points over the course of his career.

He played 39 games with Oklahoma City last season, breaking into the starting lineup in mid-December and staying there until his injury in late January. He started the last 18 games he played for Oklahoma City.

“We value and appreciate Desmond’s contributions to the Thunder. However, at this time it is important for us to retain flexibility with our roster as we move into training camp,” general manager Sam Presti said. “This was a difficult decision, certainly not the last one we will be faced with, but at this point in time we wanted to make sure we communicated with Desmond on our thought process so he could focus on other opportunities.”

The Oklahoman first reported the Mason impasse, citing an anonymous team source.

Montgomery disputed the report that negotiations failed when he requested at least a two-year contract in the neighborhood of Mason’s $5.3 million salary from last season, while the Thunder would offer nothing longer than a one-year deal.

“We never discussed money,” Montgomery said, adding: “It wasn’t going to be a dollars decision because his heart was in Oklahoma.”

Montgomery suggested Mason fell victim to a youth movement in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder have also cut ties with veterans Earl Watson, Damien Wilkins and Chucky Atkins this offseason while building around Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook —three players in their first two years who were staples in the starting lineup last season.

At 31, Mason would have been the oldest player on the Thunder—by about six months over new acquisition Etan Thomas(notes), who came over in the trade that sent Wilkins and Atkins to Minnesota.

“He’s 31,” Montgomery said. “Desmond’s still got a lot to do in this league.”

Most Valuable Player: Kevin Durant. The second-year small forward turned in a spectacular season, even if few noticed, to firmly cement himself as the franchise player. Durant finished sixth in the league in scoring at more than 25 points per game. He also grabbed 6.5 boards and dished out nearly three assists a night.

Most Disappointing Player: Robert Swift. The injury-plagued center was never able to get on track, despite given every opportunity to earn a spot in the rotation. The former lottery pick played in just 26 games, averaging only 13 minutes. He heads into free agency looking for a new team.

Free Agent Focus: Malik Rose, Desmond Mason and Robert Swift are free agents. The team likely doesn’t have any interest in Rose or Swift, though either may be used in a sign-and-trade scenario. Mason, an Oklahoma State product, could be a possibility if he’s healthy. With so much room for improvement, the team is looking for veteran depth at all positions on the affordable side.

Player News:

• G Russell Westbrook grew up in Los Angeles, so his playoff memories revolve around the Lakers. The titles from 2000-2002 still hold a special place.

“Shaq (O’Neal) and Kobe (Bryant) when they won the three-peat,” Westbrook said. “I went to a playoff game when they played Sacramento. It was exciting. It was a different level.”

• F Kevin Durant said Michael Jordan left an indelible mark 11 years ago. Jordan’s shot to beat Utah in Game 6 of the 1998 Finals still resonates with Durant.

“I was watching that game and I was thinking to myself, ‘There’s no way he’s going to hit that shot,’” Durant said. “But after that move he made, and he made it in a tough Utah arena and they won a championship. That will always stick in my head. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to play in the playoffs and make some of my own memories.”

• F D.J. White  wishes summer league could get going already. After an abbreviated rookie season cut short by surgeries, the power forward wants to get back on the court.

“I’m ready to go right now,” White said. “I only played in seven games. I have a lot of energy. The plan is to keep working out and then play in Orlando.”

Medical Watch:

• G Desmond Mason is expected to make a full recovery. He’ll be ready for training camp if he remains with the team.

The Thunder will have the third pick in the NBA Draft, up one spot from the pre-lottery position of fourth. Oklahoma City native Blake Griffin, who would have been a perfect fit with his hometown team, is headed to the lottery-winning Clippers.

Based on draft projections, the Thunder will likely choose between UConn center Hasheen Thabeet and Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio. Memphis has the No. 2 pick. Early reports, however, say Rubio’s camp has no interest in playing for a small-market team like Memphis or OKC.

The Thunder’s front office isn’t worried about such talk just yet. The team goes into the draft dealing from a position of strength with multiple picks and plenty of cap room.

“Having the third pick for us is a lot better than having the fourth,” general manager Sam Presti said. “And when you have No. 3 you wish you had No. 2, but this is definitely a great position for us to be in.

“I think we’ll definitely get some phone calls and we’ll have some options. We also like the group of players that will be there, so I’m excited.”

More so than selecting on need or using the “best-available player” chestnut, Presti is looking for a certain type of makeup in whomever the Thunder pick.

“Does he fit the culture we’re trying to create and have established? Does he fit the way we want to play? Those are the things that we’ll be dialed into,” Presti said. “All we can do is pick the best player that we think will help us and fit our team.”

Season Highlight: Kevin Durant was easily the star of the early portion of All-Star weekend. The sensational sophomore scored 46 in the Rookie Challenge game and won the league’s first H-O-R-S-E competition. For those who doubted Durant’s star potential, this was his time to shine.

Turning Point: The 1-12 start cost P.J. Carlesimo his job and morphed into a 3-29 record that had many wondering if the Thunder would post the worst record in NBA history. Oklahoma City then followed with a 6-3 stretch and stayed relatively competitive the rest of the season.

Roster Report

Most Valuable Player: Kevin Durant. The second-year small forward turned in a spectacular season, even if few noticed, to firmly cement himself as the franchise player. Durant finished sixth in the league in scoring at more than 25 points per game. He also grabbed 6.5 boards and dished out nearly three assists a night.

Most Disappointing Player: Robert Swift. The injury-plagued center was never able to get on track, despite given every opportunity to earn a spot in the rotation. The former lottery pick played in just 26 games, averaging only 13 minutes. He heads into free agency looking for a new team.

Free Agent Focus: Malik Rose, Desmond Mason and Robert Swift are free agents. The team likely doesn’t have any interest in Rose or Swift, though either may be used in a sign-and-trade scenario. Mason, an Oklahoma State product, could be a possibility if he’s healthy. With so much room for improvement, the team is looking for veteran depth at all positions on the affordable side.

Getting Inside

The interim title was lifted off Scott Brooks, who will go into next season as the Thunder’s full-time coach. Brooks led Oklahoma City to a 22-47 record after the 1-12 start under former coach P.J. Carlesimo.

Brooks tweaked the lineup, built the offense around the core of Kevin Durant(notes), Russell Westbrook(notes) and Jeff Green(notes), and the team responded with several impressive wins down the stretch.

“He’s focused on putting a brand of basketball on the court that is about the team first,” general manager Sam Presti said, “about playing both ends and competing and continuing to build the identity of the basketball team.”

Presti didn’t deny considering outside coaches for the job, but ultimately settled on Brooks. The players, including Durant, were also in Brooks’ corner.

“I’ve always believed that you work hard, and you do everything in your power the right way and you treat everybody with respect and things will work out,” Brooks said. “My focus from Nov. 22 was to make our players better, to get our team playing a good brand of basketball. I never thought one iota about myself.”

Brooks now has an offseason to implement his system fully. The franchise owns multiple first-round picks, plus plenty of cap space to work with. In addition to the players, Brooks also plans to improve before next season.

“One of the things that I really liked about Scott is he not only expects his players to come back better from the summer, he expects to come back better himself,” Presti said. “He has a passion for the game, a passion for this organization and we feel like he’s going to come back and get better as a coach and grow with our team.”

• It wasn’t always smooth during Year 1 in Oklahoma City, but the Thunder appear to be on the right track going forward with a talented nucleus and plenty of roster flexibility. The franchise has seven first-round picks in the next three years, including two this summer, and a ton of cap space.

Kevin Durant took a quantum leap from his Rookie of the Year campaign to establish himself as a budding All-Star. Rookie point guard Russell Westbrook took the reins and got better as the season went on. Jeff Green might have been playing out of position at power forward, but the second-year pro figures to be a solid rotation piece for years come.

A few additions/reclamation projects made during the season also show promise moving forward. Nenad Krstic(notes) returned from Europe to give the frontline another scorer. Chicago castoff Thabo Sefolosha(notes) could have Bruce Bowen(notes)-like impact for the team’s perimeter defense. One-time lottery pick Shaun Livingston(notes) looks to be working his way back to health and a prominent bench role.

The Thunder got off to a 1-12 start, fired coach P.J. Carlesimo and elevated Scott Brooks to the top job on an interim basis. The team continued to struggle before turning things around as the calendar flipped to 2009.

Brooks’ patient approach and key position changes emphasized scoring and athleticism. Durant thrived as a small forward, opening up the floor for everyone else. The Ford Center, rocking all season, became increasingly tougher on opponents. Oklahoma City won 12 of its last 18 at home.

Season Highlight: Kevin Durant was easily the star of the early portion of All-Star weekend. The sensational sophomore scored 46 in the Rookie Challenge game and won the league’s first H-O-R-S-E competition. For those who doubted Durant’s star potential, this was his time to shine.

Turning Point: The 1-12 start cost P.J. Carlesimo his job and morphed into a 3-29 record that had many wondering if the Thunder would post the worst record in NBA history. Oklahoma City then followed with a 6-3 stretch and stayed relatively competitive the rest of the season.