Sources: Thunder in strong position with Kevin Durant after meeting

Marc SteinESPN Senior Writer

A successful meeting with Kevin Durant and his closest confidantes Thursday has put the incumbent Oklahoma City Thunder in a strong position as Durant moves into meetings with five other free-agent suitors, according to league sources.

Sources told ESPN that Thursday's five-hour meeting with Thunder officials at Chesapeake Energy Arena "went well" before Durant, his agent and business manager Rich Kleiman and longtime friend and manager Charlie Bell boarded a flight to New York to start huddling with other teams on Friday.

A firm decision on where the four-time scoring champion will play next season, sources said, is expected "sooner rather than later," after they finish hosting the five teams that have secured invitations to the Hamptons for weekend sit-downs with Team Durant.

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Multiple sources, including friends and business associates of Durant's, previously told The Undefeated's Marc Spears that, barring an unbelievable pitch from one of the teams trying to woo Durant, those close to him expect Durant to return to the Thunder next season.

"His decision is 90 percent made," a longtime friend told Spears.

Said another colleague: "It's going to take some sweet-talking to get him to pass up all the money he can get by staying in OKC."

Durant's schedule includes recruiting meetings Friday with contingents from the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers, planned meetings Saturday with the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics, and a Sunday meeting with the Miami Heat, sources said.

Golden State's Durant pitch is scheduled to include Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, coach Steve Kerr, general manager Bob Myers and owner Joe Lacob.

ESPN.com first reported earlier Thursday that the Thunder hope to secure their own meeting with Durant and his advisers in the Hamptons, after the five suitors make their pitches.

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I just feel he is not going to leave. OKC this year. I feel he will. Stay with Westbrook for one more year and see what happens. Then when Westbrook leaves, he will jump.