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Sometime in the next 10 days, Kevin Durant will have made his decision where to play basketball next season. Hes heading overseas on July 9 for a promotional tour, and according to sources, he plans on having made his free-agency choice before he leaves.Despite having meetings lined up with six other teams, the Oklahoma City Thunder are the front-runners, with some around Durant saying someone is going to have to convince him to leave, rather than the Thunder convincing him to stay. His heart is in Oklahoma City, a place he affectionately refers to as a home. But hes willing to listen, and therefore, willing to leave the door wide open to the possibility of leaving. At this point, some 48 hours before the free-agency window opens, its all up in the air.Regardless of that choice, what many feel is not an unknown is the terms of the new contract. With the salary cap erupting incrementally over the next two years, Durant stands to cash in on a system quirk. If he re-signs for one season and delays his long-term choice another summer, hed become a 10-year player, and stand to be eligible for a 35 percent max deal rather than a 30 percent. Its the difference in some $85 million over the entire length of a new contract. Even for someone as loaded as Durant, that gets your attention.If its a one-year deal Durant wants, the Thunder quickly become his only reasonable option. They have his Bird rights, so they dont need cap space to sign him. The Warriors, the Spurs, the Heat, the whoevers -- theyd have to be $27 million under to sign him. And then the kicker: Theyd have to be $34 million or so under again next season to re-sign him. So his new team has to gut/trim this summer and then do it all over again next summer. It doesnt make a lot of sense.The Thunder would happily take Durant on the one-year deal. Theyd sign him to a daily contract that needed to be re-upped for every game if thats what it took. Its practical for Durant, and not financial devastation to the Thunder. But a one-year contract does complicate things for the organization. Sam Presti complimented Durants focus and caretaking of the franchise this season, minimizing distractions and keeping away narratives. Presti actually went as far to say the season they had wouldnt have been possible had he not.If hes only back on a one-year deal, though, its this season all over again, but on steroids. No longer is there the backdrop of oh, hell probably just sign for a year. And on top of it, hes now aligned with Russell Westbrooks free agency, setting the stage for potential free agency Armageddon for OKC.Plus, there are the optics, at least from the OKC side. Durant is hearing pitches and flirting with other teams. That fact alone means hes considering leaving the only organization he has ever known. If he signs for a year without committing for the long term, theres no celebration in Oklahoma City. Theres only delayed anxiety. The 2016-17 season is pressurized to incomprehensible levels, and fans will have to look over their shoulders all year long.Durant cares deeply about the Thunder. He takes great pride in knowing hes a stakeholder in the franchise. He talks proudly of building this thing from the ground up and knowing his fingerprints are all over the culture and identity of the entire organization. The Thunder have been constructed for him and by him at the same time.Durant likes to cut against the grain, taking pride in making independent decisions and freethinking for himself. It always has irked him that many made the assumption hed go back home to Washington, D.C., just because LeBron James did with Cleveland. His entire brand had been built and cultivated on the simple principle of being himself. The aw-shucks tweet announcing his extension in 2010 while LeBron held a one-hour special; asking for teammates to accompany him on the cover of magazines; donating $1 million less than 24 hours after a tornado shredded part of the Oklahoma City metro area.Or, of course, the MVP speech that had every mom in America forwarding links to their sons saying, Have you see this? Durant didnt show up that day planning a prepackaged speech sure to produce tears. He had a few words written on a napkin, and followed his heart for the rest of it. Nike is paying Durant nearly $300 million because of that stuff. His brand has been zigging when theres an expectation to zag.Which is why a long-term deal with the Thunder isnt out of the question. Durant has talked openly about money recently, saying this when asked during the postseason about David West opting out of his deal to sign for the veterans minimum:Money isnt everything in this life, he said. I know we tend to think about taking care of your family, being financially stable. But from the outside looking in, it looks like he said, well, Ive been blessed to make X amount and Ill be happy chasing something thats the grand prize in this league. So I respect him for it. A lot of guys wouldnt have done it.Many saw that quote as Durant leaning his way out of town, leaving the one-plus-one megabucks deal on the table to go sign elsewhere. But what it might have been reference to is the opposite. Durant might be thinking of leaving money on the table to sign long term. Hes still a max player making lots and lots of money, so its not a pay cut. But its a break for his team, and one that can help enable them to build a better roster to with which to contend. All that youth and potential the Thunder have will need to be eventually paid. And every penny counts.Durant will at least have that presented to him by the Thunder. He cares deeply about legacy. But legacy isnt only found in championships. He has said that himself, lamenting at the notion a title is the only thing that defines greatness in a player. What will resonate more than anything this summer, or longer? Durant bucking the trend and planting his flag in the ground with the organization he helped build. That is mostly the stuff of fantasy in professional sports, so theres no expectation of Durant going for it. The money is real, and nobody could blame him for making the practical, pragmatic choice. Its what makes the most sense. Its whats most likely.On the other hand, another opportunity to zig.In 10 days or less, were going to know which way he decides to go. cheap china jerseys . LOUIS -- St. china jerseys . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. https://www.chinajerseysreplica.us/ . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. cheap jerseys from china .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. wholesale jerseys china . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. WASHINGTON -- You learn a lot about people when theyre down, President Barack Obama declared Thursday, and he wasnt talking about an election. Obama saluted the NBAs Cleveland Cavaliers for rallying from behind to defeat the Golden State Warriors and end a Cleveland pro sports title drought stretching back to 1964.Obama honored the Cavs on the South Lawn of the White House, squeezing in another sports champion before he leaves office. He opened with: Thats right. I said world champion and Cleveland in the same sentence.The Cavs came back from a 3-1 deficit to win the championship against a Warriors team that set an NBA record for wins during the regular season.The first team in history to dig themselves out of a hole like that, Obama said. The comeback was remarkable, and you learn about people when theyre down.That comment came shortly after Obama met with Donald Trump, who won the White House race to succeed him after a campaign in which the president declared the businessman unfit.Obama singled out several players for praise, but particularly focused on LeeBron James, who won the Most Valuable Player award during the championship series.dddddddddddd Obama called James one of the greatest players of all time and said its not just power and speed that make James great, but his unselfishness and work ethic. You saw it in those last three games, the president said.Obama said the Cavs also exemplified a growing generation of athletes who are using their platforms to speak out. He noted, as examples, that Kevin Love has worked to combat sexual assault and James has worked to reduce gun violence.He said the team met earlier Thursday with Attorney General Loretta Lynch and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett to discuss steps the Cavs are taking to help build better relations between law enforcement and the Cleveland community.It is part of a league-wide effort to build stronger communities all across the country, including holding open conversations so we can begin to bridge divides, Obama said. ' ' '