Clippers Hand Chris Paul's No. 3 to Bradley Beal — What It Means
L.A. let Bradley Beal wear the number everyone assumed was headed to the rafters. Beyond the optics, here's the fantasy read on the players in this saga.
Still a top-25 asset at 41.4 FPTS/G and trending up.
- Clippers gave Beal Chris Paul's No. 3 this season
- LeBron: 41.4 FPTS/G in 2025-26, our #23 overall
- LeBron up +7.9 FPTS over last 5 vs season avg
- Ayton: 26.9 FPTS/G in 2025-26, our #122 overall
- Lakers to gift 2020 ring replicas vs Davis on Jan. 24
The Los Angeles Clippers just did something no one saw coming: they handed Bradley Beal the No. 3 that most of the NBA figured was destined for the rafters at Intuit Dome. That's Chris Paul's number — the same Chris Paul who is, by any honest accounting, the most important player in the franchise's history, and who the team reportedly sent home during a December road trip in Atlanta last season.
The timing made it sting more. On the very same day, the Lakers rolled out a 2026-27 promo schedule that includes a 2020 championship ring replica giveaway on Sunday, Jan. 24, when they host Anthony Davis and the Wizards. One franchise is throwing a party for a legend who left; the other quietly reassigned its icon's digits. Two very different playbooks for handling franchise greats.
The broader point is about respect and organizational culture — Paul got none of the ceremony the Lakers routinely extend to their departed stars, from Shaq to LeBron. But for our purposes, the jersey drama is really a spotlight on the players still very much on fantasy radars, and that's where you should be looking.
The Fantasy Fallout
LeBron James is the name that jumps out. Now in Philadelphia, he posted 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds across 60 games last season (2025-26), good for 41.4 fantasy points per game and our #23 overall ranking (#9 among forwards). More encouraging for managers: over his last five games he averaged +7.9 fantasy points above his season mark — a real form spike heading into the new campaign.
Deandre Ayton, the other name floating through this story, is a different tier entirely. He played 72 games in 2025-26 for 12.5 points and 8.0 rebounds, translating to 26.9 fantasy points per game and our #122 overall rank (#24 at center). Serviceable rebound-and-field-goal-percentage source in deeper builds, but not a needle-mover.
The verdict: don't let the noise around Paul distract you from the actual asset here. LeBron at #23 with a hot recent stretch is a clear hold — buy him at his ceiling only if a manager panics over his age or the Philly move. Ayton stays a matchup-dependent stream in standard leagues. And Chris Paul? Pure narrative for now — monitor his role wherever he lands before spending a bench spot.
