Kevin Durant is defending LeBron James, insisting he doesn't understand why the Miami Heat star seems to get ripped for every decision he makes.

"I don't know what the big deal is," Durant told ProBasketballTalk.com of the frenzy caused by James announcing this week he plans to opt out of the final two years of his deal with the Heat. "You know, as a player, I think that's the best way to go about it. You can have all your options. It's better for you as a player to opt out, because you can get a market deal, you can get more years. You never know what will happen if you pass up on that. So I didn't know what the big deal was. I'm sure it was a decision he made, something he was thinking about for him and his family."

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James reportedly has already met with Big 3 teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and is rumored to be meeting with Pat Riley and other front office members over the next several days, all in an effort to figure out what's best for all parties. Either way, Durant seems convinced in the eyes of some James can't win.

"I don't think it's fair," he added. "I don't think anything that you guys criticize LeBron about is fair. He switched teams; he's not the first guy to do it. He decided to opt out; he's not the first guy to do it. Sometimes a lot of people criticize him a little bit too much for doing normal things, doing stuff that everybody has done. Even Tim Duncan went into free agency before. He got courted by quite a few teams."

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"We'll see what happens with me, but everybody's done the same thing. He's not the first."