Do the Celtics need to un-retire numbers for new players?


Here we are. The cusp of free agency. With a possibility of landing one of the biggest free agents on the market, and then trading for another All-Star. If not, we've got tons of draft picks in star-studded future drafts.

It's an exciting time to be a Celtics fan, but it's gotta be confusing as hell for the guys coming in trying to choose their jersey numbers.

Newly minted Celtic Jayson Tatum couldn't take his number from college, (0) cause Avery Bradley's got it. He can't double it to be 00 cause Robert Parish was kind of a big deal, helping the Celtics win three chips and sitting in Boston records book for stats across the column.

Do you see the problem? Sure, Gordon Hayward (20) can hold onto his number if he decides to sign with the Celtics, but what if he wants to wash everything Utah away? Can't go up to 21, Hall-of-Famer Bill Sharman has got that locked up. Down to 19? Sorry, Gordon, 5-time Celtics champion Don Nelson's got you beat.

Paul George meanwhile can take James Young's 13, but if he wanted to go back to his roots and don 24, Sam "Mr. Clutch" Jones spent his entire career in Boston, and has a ring for every finger (even his thumbs!) Tough luck, PG-13.

The Celtics have the most retired numbers in the NBA, and while it's reasonable considering the storied legacy on the parquet, is it time to bring some fresh air into the rafters (and maybe make some room for banners 18 and beyond?)

Probably not, there's still a lot for guys to choose from, but more than 20% of them are gone right now, when it hits a third, is that when the C's start pulling some of those jerseys down?

There are absolutely the untouchables, like Larry Legend's 33, John Havlicek's 17, and obviously Red Auerbach and Bill Russell, 2 and 6 respectively, but is there anybody that the Celtics can reasonably request that we put their number back into circulation?

Jim Loscutoff asked his jersey not be retired so somebody else could wear it... maybe some of these old legends would be cool with young guys bringing back their legacy and building upon it?

Plus wouldn't it be fitting to start the next chapter of the Celtics championships runs with those numbers back on the court?

Follow Topher Lane on Twitter, @Topher_L. Photo credit: John Blanding/The Boston Globe via Getty Images.