11 Players the Spurs signed past their prime

Rings culture and ring chasing discourse dominate much of the offseason these days but as new as these terms are, the actions that embody them are nothing new. Contending teams have always been a destination for veterans looking to bolster their resumes before calling it a career. And as a perennial title contender for most of the 2000's, the San Antonio Spurs took full advantage of this desire.

You can call it ring chasing if you want but I don't think anything is wrong with an established veteran prioritizing winning over getting paid. They've made their millions and no one wants to spend an 82-game season crisscrossing the country for a team destined for the lottery if they don't have to.

These players are often past their prime but can still be valuable contributors. Any head coach for a team with title aspirations would rather have a veteran who's at 80 percent of his peak abilities than a young guy still learning the ropes. At least with the veteran, you can trust that he's going to know his assignment and not make the game-changing mistakes that more often afflict players still adjusting to the speed of the NBA.

Sometimes these moves work out and sometimes the veteran who was bought in ends up being more of an expensive locker room presence than a valuable on-court contributor. The Spurs have sure had their fair share of both. Here are a few veterans who ended up being a real value-add for the San Antonio and a few who ended up showing just how past their primes they really were.