Florida Alumni NBA Roundup | Sept. 6–12, 2026
Two former Gators are making offseason noise for very different reasons — one sparking a fanbase firestorm in Los Angeles, the other quietly doing the work to make sure he never watches from the bench again.
Beal Inherits CP3's Number, Inherits the Backlash
Bradley Beal isn't even on the court yet and he's already at the center of a Clippers controversy. The veteran shooting guard is switching from No. 0 to No. 3 for the upcoming season — the number long synonymous with Chris Paul, who wore it in Los Angeles from 2011 until his retirement. No Clipper had touched the digits in between.
Fans erupted. The optics were rough: an organization already navigating investigations and sanctions now appeared to be casually reassigning a franchise icon's number to a player who has yet to prove his fit in LA.
Beal addressed it directly, telling reporters that Paul's legacy "can't be touched, nor erased" — a measured response that acknowledged the sensitivity without backing down from the number change. According to an insider report from The Athletic's Law Murray, Beal wasn't the architect of this decision; the blame sits squarely with Clippers management.
Still, the imagery stings for CP3 loyalists. Beal, who agreed to return to Los Angeles on a two-year deal, will carry both the jersey and the baggage into training camp. Whether his play eventually quiets the noise is the only answer that will matter.
Richard Using Bench DNPs as Rocket Fuel
Over in Golden State, Will Richard is having the kind of offseason that coaches quietly love to see. The second-year guard closed his rookie campaign on the bench — sitting out the Warriors' final two regular-season games as Golden State was eliminated in the play-in tournament — and he hasn't stopped thinking about it since.
By every statistical measure, Richard's rookie year was solid. But being demoted at the finish line lit something in him. He's described the late-season benching as "motivation," and by all accounts that's not bulletin-board posturing — it's driven a rigorous offseason workout regimen that has the Warriors organization encouraged heading into training camp.
Head coach Steve Kerr's staff is reportedly getting promising early reads on Richard's conditioning and preparation entering Year 2. For a Warriors roster still calibrating its identity, a hungry, physically ready Richard could push for a genuine rotation role rather than a spot-minutes cameo.
The contrast between the two Florida alumni is striking: Beal navigating franchise politics and outside noise at a veteran crossroads, Richard putting his head down and grinding through the sting of being an afterthought when the lights were brightest. Both storylines will resolve on the floor — which is, ultimately, where Gator legacies get built.
Also worth watching: Tre Mann (Wizards) is fighting to extend his NBA career in Washington, with Sports Illustrated framing his opportunity there as a last-resort situation for the former Florida guard.
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