The trade that lead to the 'chip. In the summer of 2018, after getting stopped by LeBron (or other teams) for a few years and counting, the Toronto Raptors made a move. They gave up DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a first-round pick to bring Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to Toronto. Playing on a basically one-year lease and heavy "load management" with their new star, the Raptors had a strong regular season and followed that up by a memorable Championship run. A moment forever engraved in city history. But what if the trade never happened?

Shootaround: We focus on the NBA offseason, Raptors expectations and best-case scenarios. Serge talks about this being the "white guy gets paid" free agency.

This week's special guest is Kelsea O'Brien. You can find her spitting basketball truths on the Dishes & Dimes Pod, writing for Raptors Republic and Basketball News, or just on Twitter. 

During the 2017/18 season, Carson Wentz was coming into his own. In his second season, he was putting up elite numbers and leading a Superbowl favorite Eagles team to what seemed like an inevitable run. When Carson Wentz went down, everyone thought the Dream was dead. In steps Nick Foles and leads Philadelphia to the win. But what if Carson Wentz got to finish what he started?

Shootaround: Sports are almost coming to an end and we face another reality where we have nothing to watch (you still get to listen to this podcast). Does the fourth ring move the needle on LeBron's legacy? Can the NFL finish their season? When is the NBA coming back? 

When LeBron James joined the Miami Heat, expectations where high. They expected to win not one, not two, not three, not four... you know the story. So when one of the most talented teams in history lost to the geriatric Dallas Mavericks, everyone was ready to point fingers. Ultimately, Pat Riley trusted his coach and let him lead the Heat to the next two Finals. But what if Pat repeated history and displayed his coach to take the reigns like he did in 2005?

Shootaround: Football is finally back, for Serge at least. The NBA Finals are reaching their end point and please wear a mask. 

In 2006, the Miami Dolphins had a shot at singing Drew Brees coming off a shoulder injury and released by the San Diego Chargers. After the physical, the Dolphins decided to go with Daunte Culpepper instead, allowing the New Orleans Saints to sign their franchise QB. The rest is history. But what if the Dolphins took the risk? 

Shootaround: The NBA Finals are here and boy do we have some thoughts? Are this year's Heat just the 2004 Detroit Pistons? Let's find out. Serge continues to pretend that the NFL season doesn't exist. 

Bryan Colangelo inherited a team on track for sure success from Sam Hinkie and then proceeded to tear down the most idiot proof plan in the NBA. When Elton Brand took over as the new GM he was under pressure to deliver the success that eluded Philly so far. He moved key pieces of Robert Covington and Dario Saric to get Jimmy Butler from Minnesota only to let him go at the end of the season for Josh Richardson (so he basically traded Covington and assets for another version of Covington). But what if the Sixers did the smart thing and kept Jimmy Butler.

Shootaround: Serge pretends the NFL season never came back (and the Eagles aren't in a freefall). The guys chat NBA Conference Semi-Finals, their Finals predictions and Sam Presti's genius. 

The NFL always had a confusing approach to overtime. Sure, you can't ask grown men to keep hitting each other for an undisclosed amount of time, but what's the current alternative? Just having the results of very competitive games decided by a coin flip like its Vegas? There should be some sort of a buffer on this. We relive some of the moments decided by a fateful flip on this episode.

Shootaround: Serge and Sam sit and commiserate about the Toronto Raptors while discovering their newfound Heat fandom. The NFL is back, so we dive into that (but not too much - Serge).

Note: This episode was recorded three weeks ago before the NBA labour strike in response to racial injustice in America. We still wanted to bring this to you, so we re-recorded the intro. Please enjoy. 

Last week, the NBA players effectively went on strike, shutting down play for three days in protest of ongoing police violence against Black people in the United States. With the Milwaukee Bucks deciding to miss their game against the Orlando Magic, the NBA players put the rest of the world on notice. What does it mean for athletes to use their platform for activism and what can we do to show our support. On this episode, we take a break from hypotheticals and have a very real discussions about the Black Lives Matter movement and why we can no longer afford to be inactive (hint: we never could)

Shootaround: We talk about about the second round of the NBA Playoffs, give our thoughts about what's happening with Milwaukee and use a bit of time to grieve about our beloved Toronto Raptors.

In the 1999 NBA Draft, the Vancouver Grizzlies selected Steve Francis. Unfortunately for them, Steve decided he didn't want to play in Vancouver. Instead, they had to trade him for... literally no one, and a year later the Grizzlies were out of Vancouver and playing in Memphis. But what would have happened if Steve Francis stayed in Vancouver.

Shootaround: The NBA Playoffs are on and we couldn't be happier. 

In 2001, Drew Bledsoe went down during the New York Jets in the second game of the NFL regular season. This opened the door for the QB who was the 199th pick from the 2000 draft. What happened next is history. Tom Brady went on to win six Superbowls, including one in his first year as a starter. He became a legend and possibly the greatest of all time. But what if Bledsoe never hurt himself on that play?

Shootaround: Serge shares his aspiration to be an elderly YMCA hooper, we talk about the NBA bubble and briefly touch on the NCAA and the college football season (or lack thereof). 

As a global pandemic wreaked havoc around the world, all sports came to a halt. But what if we made it through the pandemic and sports never had to pause? We investigate what we think would happen in the season if it never took a break.

Shootaround: The NBA is back and we're extremely happy to talk to you about meaningful basketball.