Durant’s Decision.
The day after the Sombor Horse Racing Tournament, Han Sen boarded a flight back to Cleveland.
His trip to Serbia with Jokić had been his well-earned break after winning the championship.
But now?
It was time to get back to work.
Han had already declared that a new dynasty was coming. That wasn't just talk—he had to start preparing for next season.
By now, it was early July.
NBA free agency was already in full swing.
And this year?
This was shaping up to be the most chaotic offseason since 2014.
Down in Miami, the Heat were in turmoil—Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade, and Luol Deng were all free agents, and Pau Gasol had opted out of his final year.
LeBron James had also declined his player option, officially hitting the market.
Beyond them, other major names were available—DeMar DeRozan, Dwight Howard, Al Horford, Bradley Beal, Andre Drummond, Hassan Whiteside.
Any one of them could shift the power balance in the league.
But the biggest name?
Kevin Durant.
LeBron's situation was still uncertain—he had vanished from social media after the Finals, leaving no clues about his intentions.
That said, logic dictated that he'd stay in Los Angeles.
With Kobe retired, LeBron was now the undisputed face of the Lakers.
Durant, though?
His departure from Miami was all but certain.
And his decision?
That was going to alter the entire landscape of the NBA.
---
For weeks, the rumors had been swirling.
The Houston Rockets were aggressively trying to clear Chris Bosh's contract to make room for Durant.
The Boston Celtics, freed from Al Horford's expiring deal, were going all-in, even bringing Ray Allen out of retirement to help pitch the team.
Gregg Popovich had personally met with Durant, trying to lure him to the San Antonio Spurs.
His plan?
If Durant joined, Tim Duncan would return on a minimum contract, forming a core of Parker, Green, Durant, Leonard, and Aldridge, with Duncan and Ginóbili coming off the bench.
On paper, that lineup was championship-ready from day one.
Then, of course, there were the Golden State Warriors.
Harrison Barnes had become an unrestricted free agent after a disappointing Western Conference Finals performance.
If Durant took his place?
Golden State would become an all-time juggernaut.
Even the Lakers had entered the race.
With Kobe's contract off the books, they had enough cap space to pair Durant with LeBron James and Kevin Love.
A trio like that—Durant, LeBron, and Love—would immediately become the league's most dangerous offensive force.
Durant didn't plan on making a spectacle like LeBron's infamous Decision in 2010.
But the reality?
His choice held even more weight.
Even other free agents—including LeBron himself—were waiting on Durant before making their moves.
Of course, Han already knew.
Barring a major twist, Durant was heading to the Warriors.
---
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers had started their offseason moves.
But before free agency even kicked off, they hit a problem.
J.R. Smith demanded a four-year, $60 million contract.
Just a year ago, that was nearly a max deal.
But with the NBA's new TV contract in effect, the salary cap had skyrocketed.
Now, max contracts had jumped to over $20 million per season.
And with the market flooded with money and limited high-end talent available, players were getting paid.
Take Allen Crabbe, for example—he had just signed a four-year, $75 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers after averaging just 10.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game last season.
Or Solomon Hill, who inked a four-year, $52 million contract with the Pelicans despite averaging 4.2 points and 2.8 rebounds.
Even Rudy Gay got four years, $64 million from the Kings.
Bismack Biyombo? Four years, $72 million from the Magic.
Nicolas Batum? Five years, $120 million from the Hornets.
It was a summer of absurd contracts.
J.R. ultimately settled for four years, $56 million with the Cavs.
Unlike last year's Tristan Thompson contract saga, Cavaliers GM David Griffin didn't even bother asking for Han's opinion.
He already knew—Han's stance was the same as before.
If the team had to overpay to keep its core together, so be it.
While J.R. stayed, Mo Williams left.
He signed a two-year, $12 million deal with the Trail Blazers.
For Mo, returning to Cleveland was always about chasing a ring.
Now that he had one?
It was time to cash out.
The Cavaliers also re-signed Dante Cunningham, matching a four-year, $30 million offer from the Pacers.
Unlike with J.R., Griffin didn't hesitate on this one.
Cunningham was one of Han's closest friends on the team—there was no way they'd let him walk.
---
That night, Griffin met with Han privately.
There was a player interested in coming to Cleveland.
And it wasn't just any player.
It was Deron Williams.
Griffin had requested a one-on-one meeting with Han because of who Deron was.
Last season, Deron had joined the Lakers hoping to boost his value and chase a title.
Instead?
He ended up caught in the Lakers' Finals disaster.
His reputation took a massive hit.
His market value cratered.
Now?
He was looking for redemption.
And he wanted it in Cleveland.
Han thought for a moment.
"He can still play," Han finally said.
The Finals had proven that much.
As a starting point guard, Deron was too much of a defensive liability.
But off the bench?
He was still a damn good player.
In fact, he was a clear upgrade over Mo Williams.
That settled it.
With Han's approval, the Cavaliers signed Deron to a two-year, $10 million deal, with the second year as a player option.
As soon as the signing was announced?
Lakers fans lost it.
Deron was immediately labeled a traitor.
After all, the Lakers had just been humiliated by the Cavs in the Finals.
And now?
Deron had jumped ship to join the enemy.
Kobe fans and LeBron fans—usually sworn rivals—were suddenly united.
In their eyes?
Deron had no dignity. No spine. No pride.
Social media exploded with outrage.
But the noise didn't last long.
Because just as the July moratorium was nearing its end—
Kevin Durant sent shockwaves through the league.
---
As July neared its end, the anticipation around free agency hit its peak.
And then, Kevin Durant finally made his decision.
But he didn't do it with a live TV special like LeBron in 2010.
Instead?
Durant rented a house in Hampton, Virginia.
Right on the banks of the James River.
There, over the course of several days, he privately met with the seven teams vying for his signature.
It was like a job interview—except this time, the companies were the ones pitching to him.
And after seven rounds of meetings…
Durant's next destination was set.
Kevin Durant signed a two-year, $54.3 million contract with the Boston Celtics.
Second year? A player option.
---
Han Sen found out about the news through a call from David Griffin.
Half-asleep from an afternoon nap, Han answered groggily.
"Durant is signing with Boston."
Han blinked.
Did I mishear that?
"Wait… you mean the Celtics? Not the Warriors?"
Griffin confirmed.
And Han immediately sat up, fully awake.
Why?
Why didn't Durant go to the Warriors?
By all logic, Golden State was his best option.
Especially in this timeline, where he hadn't even lost to them in the playoffs.
Han mulled it over, scrolling through social media to gauge the reaction.
---
The moment Durant's decision was announced, the Celtics immediately locked in Al Horford on a four-year, $110 million deal.
Ray Allen, true to his word, also announced his return—signing a veteran minimum deal with Boston.
And just like that?
Celtics fans went insane.
Their roster now featured:
-Isaiah Thomas
- Avery Bradley
-Kevin Durant
-Al Horford
-Karl-Anthony Towns
With a bench that included Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder, and Kelly Olynyk.
Three All-Stars. A rising No. 1 pick. A lockdown 3&D wing. And a strong supporting cast.
Danny Ainge hadn't just rebuilt the Celtics.
He had turned them into title contenders overnight.
---
Of course, not everyone was celebrating.
The angriest fanbases?
Golden State and Los Angeles.
For the Warriors, missing out on Durant was a devastating blow.
Now, they had to figure out whether to re-sign Harrison Barnes.
And the Lakers?
Even worse.
Earlier in the offseason, DeMar DeRozan had expressed interest in coming home to Los Angeles.
But the Lakers, obsessed with landing Durant, told DeRozan to "wait".
DeRozan, a multi-time All-Star, wasn't about to be a backup plan.
So he took his max contract to stay in Toronto.
Now?
The Lakers lost both Durant and DeRozan.
Nothing but empty hands.
A perfect example of Lakers management at its finest.
Without Nike's backing, they wouldn't have even built their original Big Three.
---
After reading through the chaos, Han finally pieced it together.
Why didn't Durant join the Warriors?
It was simple.
The Warriors had just won 73 games.
If he joined them, it would be no different from what LeBron did with the Heat—jumping to an already dominant team.
Or, as Dwyane Wade had put it, "The hardest road with no way back."
And history had already shown what happened to those who took that path.
In the original timeline, LeBron had already won three championships by this point, which made Durant's infamous "If they can do it, why can't I?" mindset understandable.
But here?
LeBron was still ringless.
A wandering mercenary.
If Durant followed the same blueprint, wouldn't he just become another LeBron?
And there was one more factor—UA vs. Nike.
With Klay Thompson signed to Under Armour, the Warriors had become a full-blown UA team.
Durant?
He was Nike's biggest active star.
Signing with Golden State would have been like Nike's flagship player switching sides.
Just like the social media frenzy attacking Deron Williams, Durant knew he'd be branded a traitor.
In the end?
He took the smarter path.
And with Isaiah Thomas about to enter his MVP-caliber season, the Celtics might even be stronger than last year's Heat.
Boston had just become Cleveland's biggest obstacle in the East.
---
Durant's decision set off a chain reaction.
The biggest immediate impact?
The Miami Heat.
Durant's departure killed any hope of keeping the team together.
Dwyane Wade immediately requested a three-year, $60 million extension—similar to what the Lakers had given Kobe.
His reasoning?
Loyalty.
He had spent his entire career in Miami, still played at an All-Star level, and with the league's new salary cap spike, his market value was already around $20 million per year.
Other teams had already lined up.
The Bucks and Nuggets had both expressed interest, willing to offer Wade the same $20 million annually.
Even Cleveland had initially offered him a two-year deal near that range—though Wade, out of principle, refused to join the Cavs.
But Pat Riley refused.
He only offered Wade a two-year, $40 million deal.
With Durant gone, Riley had no intention of keeping the Heat intact.
He wanted a full rebuild.
And Wade?
He wasn't part of that future.
There was no sentimentality in Riley's decisions.
The result?
Wade left Miami.
He signed a two-year, $47.5 million deal to return home to Chicago.
And he wasn't alone.
Pau Gasol also left for Chicago, signing a two-year, $30 million deal.
With Joakim Noah gone to the Knicks on a four-year, $72 million deal, Gasol would take over as the Bulls' new starting center.
Chicago had also fired Tom Thibodeau and replaced him with Fred Hoiberg.
Derrick Rose had already been traded to the Knicks.
Now?
The Bulls' new starting lineup:
- Dwyane Wade
- Jimmy Butler
- Robert Covington
- Taj Gibson
- Pau Gasol
And speaking of the Knicks?
Their expected lineup:
- Derrick Rose
- Courtney Lee
- Brandon Ingram (rookie)
- Kristaps Porzingis
- Joakim Noah
Meanwhile, Miami completely collapsed.
They lost Durant, Wade, Gasol, and Joe Johnson (who signed a two-year, $22 million deal with Utah).
With their core gone, Riley pulled the trigger on a full-scale rebuild.
And to make it official?
He made an announcement.
The Miami Heat would retire Han Sen's No. 77 jersey next season.
The timing wasn't a coincidence.
Durant's departure forced Riley's hand.
There was no more power struggle.
No more pride.
Just acknowledgment of what Han had built before Miami lost it all.
The final dominoes fell.
Andre Drummond, Dwight Howard, and Hassan Whiteside all signed max extensions with their teams.
DeMar DeRozan re-signed with the Raptors.
And with Durant's decision sending ripple effects across the league…
The wildest free agency in years was finally settling down.