Report: Kevin Durant ’90 percent’ sure he will re-sign with Thunder

Dec 3, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) reacts after being called for a foul against the Miami Heat during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) reacts after being called for a foul against the Miami Heat during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kevin Durant is expected to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to ESPN.

NBA Free Agency doesn’t start until midnight tonight, but it sounds like Kevin Durant — the biggest free agent on the market — has mostly already made his decision.

According to Marc J. Spears from ESPN’s The Undefeated, Durant is pretty sure he’s going to re-sign with the Thunder despite his other meetings with teams.

"“His decision is 90 percent made. It would take an amazing sales pitch to change it,” said one of Durant’s longtime friends.Another Durant colleague said, “It’s going to take some sweet-talking to get him to pass up all the money he can get by staying in OKC.”"

This is a power move by Durant, as he’s not completely saying he’s re-signing with the Thunder so he’s leaving the door open to signing with another team. This means that he’s telling teams he’s going to be meeting with that they need to bring better than their A-plus pitches to the table if they want to pry him away from the Thunder.

If you’re hoping your team will sign Durant, all hope is not yet lost. Durant is reportedly 90 precent sure he’s staying — not specifically that he’s 90 percent going to sign long term.

That’s the key here, as the smartest thing that Durant can do is sign a one-year deal with a player option and then do this all again next summer. That’s the move to get the most money out of a deal and that’s why he should try to game the system like he is.

Bottom line is, whether Durant is 90 percent sure or 100 percent sure about what he’s doing in 2016-17, the real questions about his future lie beyond that in The Summer of Durant, Part II in 2017.

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