Paul Pierce: Celtics will retire Kevin Garnett’s number next

Paul Pierce thinks he knows who the next retired number of the Boston Celtics will belong to.

Pierce said that Kevin Garnett will “without a doubt” see his No. 5 raised to the rafters now that Pierce has had the honor.

“Without a doubt, KG’s number will be [the next one] retired in Boston,” Pierce said, via Chris Forsberg of ESPN. “It’s going to happen.”

Celtics president Danny Ainge seemed to concur, noting that the team has had informal discussions about retiring Garnett’s number. While the decision ultimately lies with ownership, Ainge argued against those who believe Garnett didn’t spend enough time in Boston to earn the honor.

“It was six years of potential championship-caliber teams and All-Star play from KG,” Ainge said. “I think that it was a pretty significant impact he had in those six years.”

It sounds like there’s a way to go on this decision, but it may happen. That said, it’s safe to say that if it does, that’s where the jersey retirements from that team would end given what has gone down with that team since.