Snakes don't need a "basking area" per se. They just need a warm and cool side and as long as the temps are right in both of those they don't need any special basking spot. They don't require any special lighting either like some lizards do. The above advice is very good. Depending on your room temperature you can probably just get away with one under tank heater covering like 1/4 or 1/3 of the bottom of the cage.
They're selling the AP t-8 for 150 right now. But you'll also need to pay shipping I suppose. Another solution if you're handy is to build your own pvc cage - there are a lot of videos and info on this if you are interested. Otherwise you can go with a tank but you'll have to be very diligent on keeping the humidity up and you'll need to cover the majority of the screen top with something to prevent all the humidity from escaping. You might also find that in a tank you may have feeding problems since the snake will not feel nearly as secure as it does in a tub.
Something the size of your ten gallon would be perfect for a baby. The 20 would work for subadult size. I would reserve a 40 size tank for only adult ball pythons. If you put a baby in the 40 it will likely not eat.
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