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.

11.) Robert Horry

Even though Robert Horry joined the Spurs towards the tail end of his career, you could still argue that he had some of the biggest moments of his career while playing for San Antonio. No matter how you look at it, there's no debating that Big Shot Bob is one of the most impactful veterans the Spurs have ever brought in.

After tormenting the Spurs for years with the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, Horry signed with San Antonio ahead of the 2004 season and immediately found success in a reduced role.

Horry saved the Spurs in the 2005 Finals against the Detroit Pistons, exploding for 18 points throughout the fourth quarter and overtime and hitting one of the biggest shots in NBA Finals history.

Horry's Game 5 heroics ultimately gave the Spurs the room they needed to take the series back to San Antonio and win their third NBA championship. He'll always have a special place in the hearts of Spurs fans because of that.

10.) Michael Finley

Another former rival who turned San Antonio Spur, Michael Finley came to San Antonio after playing his best basketball with the Dallas Mavericks. Like Horry before him, Finley thrived in a reduced but critical role in San Antonio.

Always a strong three-point shooter, Finley provided valuable floor spacing for the Spurs and, together with Bruce Bowen, gave the Spurs a pair of great defensive wings they could rely on to lock down the opposing team when games got tight.

Even though he was past his prime when he came to San Antonio, Finley still found a way to contribute and was a key player on the 2007 championship team. He's certainly included in the group of veteran signings we look at as a home run.

9.) Antonio McDyess

Antonio McDyess was well past his prime by the time he came to San Antonio. He signed with the Spurs ahead of the 2009-10 season at the ripe age of 35 and after a long road back from knee injuries that had derailed his career and sapped him of the explosiveness that had defined his younger years.

Still, McDyess's time in San Antonio wasn't a complete wash. He had adapted his game to fit what his body could do and gave the Spurs valuable minutes, even starting the majority of the games he suited up for in his first season with San Antonio. With his mid-range shooting agility and Tim Duncan holding down the low post, the Spurs were able to field a dangerous albeit slow-moving frontcourt.

It's a shame the Spurs couldn't have found a way to bring McDyess in when he was still exploding through defenders and hammering home dunks but even in his old age he still found ways to contribute.

8.) Dominique Wilkins

It'll help you score some points if you're playing the daily NBA crossover grid but no one can really blame you if you overlook Dominique Wilkins's time with the San Antonio Spurs. This is the poster child for signing a player past their prime.

The Human Highlight was one of the best players of his generation, unquestionably one of the most entertaining players of all time, and more than worthy of his inclusion in the Hall of Fame. But his time in San Antonio was pretty dang meaningless.

With no other superstar players and David Robinson lost to injury, Nique at least gave the Spurs faithful someone to cheer for alongside Sean Elliott and Avery Johnson. Even at the age of 37 he still found a way to get his, his 18 points per game led the Spurs that season. But as much of a credit as that is to Wilkins, it's an equally sad reflection of the state of the Spurs at that time.

The best thing you can say about Wilkins's time in San Antonio is that it at least gave Spurs fans something entertaining to watch and helped make the miserable '96-97 season a little exciting from time to time. And hey, the next year the Spurs drafted Tim Duncan so it wasn't all for nothing either.

7.) Theo Ratliff

Theo Ratliff falls right at the intersection of players the Spurs signed past their prime and whose time in San Antonio was completely unremarkable. Ratliff appeared in 21 games for San Antonio after signing with the Spurs ahead of the 2009 season, logged 183 minutes, and did absolutely nothing of note.

In his youth, Ratliff was one of the most dominant shot blockers in the NBA. He led the league in blocks for three out of four seasons from 2000 to 2004 and probably would have rattled off four consecutive seasons if he hadn't gotten injured. This was a man who opposing players were right to fear around the rim.

If San Antonio had signed that player they would have gotten a force. But Ratliff really started to slip after he turned 30 and was never able to regain the shot-blocking prowess that had defined his first decade in the league.

6.) Stephen Jackson (The Return)

Stephen Jackson falls into a weird spot of being on the Spurs both before his prime and after his peak. His first stint in San Antonio was promising but frustratingly inconsistent, his second was more of the same.

He'd play well for stretches at a time but his impactful games were regularly matched with inefficent or games that where he'd simply disappear. Knowing his penchant for criticizing the Spurs organization as a whole, I'm sure Jackson would blame the inconsistency on Gregg Popovich's inability or refusal to understand Cap'n Jack's unique brilliance.

From his beef with Tony Parker that he just refuses to let go of to his bad takes about the '07 Warriors and his insane belief that he was a better player than Manu Ginobili, Jackson's connection to the Spurs has continued to be a well he goes back to again and again on his podcast. The Spurs should really be connecting royalties for how often he turns the conversation back to them.

This signing has the rare distinction of being a mistake on two fronts for San Antonio. Not only was Jackson well past his prime by the time he came back to San Antonio, but his return also gave him even more to run his mouth about. We'll be paying for that for as long as he continues to have a platform.

5.) Tracy McGrady

Like Dominique Wilkins, Tracy McGrady signed with the Spurs when he was well past the peak of his powers and his time but was fairly inconsequential. But damn if the Spurs faithful didn't embrace T-Mac like a hometown favorite.

McGrady had spent years giving the Spurs fits, he torched San Antonio during his time in Houston. But when he finally signed with the Spurs as part of their playoff run in 2013 I think Spurs fans were just rooting for one of the all-time greats to get a ring with one of the most beloved teams in franchise history before hanging it up.

Even though McGrady wasn't in San Antonio long, you can hear from the man himself how appreciative and impressed he was with the treatment he received during his brief time with the team.

Even though McGrady didn't make much of an impact on the court, Spurs fans can confidently say he'd vouch for the quality of the fanbase and the organization as a result. And having a player that is that well respected in your corner is worth something in my eyes.

4.) David West

There are levels to ring chasing. What David West did towards the end of his career was some of the most unabashed ring-chasing I've seen. I'm not knocking it, West knew what he wanted and he made it happen. I just wish his time in San Antonio would have ended a little differently.

West signed in San Antonio after giving the Spurs fits for years as a member of the New Orleans Hornets. I remember those series well, West and Tyson Chandler always posed tough matchups for the Spurs frontcourt. Round out the roster with key players like Peja Stojakovic and a young Chris Paul and you have a recipe for some of the toughest playoff games the Spurs have ever played.

After a brief stint with the Indiana Pacers, West eventually settled with the Spurs ahead of the 2015-16 season. He'd play a key role on the Spurs team that year, appearing in 78 games and being a key piece of the Spurs bench unit. He wouldn't quite meet his goal of getting that elusive ring with San Antonio but would eventually get back-to-back championships with the Warriors the following two seasons.

As far as veteran signings go, West's was about what you'd hope for. A player who knows the system and has a little left in the tank comes in and plays an important role before continuing on. Absolutely nothing wrong with that and Spurs fans should look back appreciatively on the contributions West made to the team while he was here.

3.) David Lee

David Lee was one of the better big men of the mid-2000s, stringing together impressive stretches in both New York and Golden State before finally ending up in San Antonio in 2016. But by the time he suited up for the Spurs, he wasn't nearly the caliber of player that had been selected to two All-Star games.

Lee wasn't a slouch for the Spurs by any means, he gave them solid minutes and did a decent job of filling in for LaMarcus Aldridge and Tim Duncan off the bench. But he wasn't overly impressive either. This wasn't the same guy who was giving people 20 and 10 on a nightly basis just a few years before. But at the same time, that wasn't the role the Spurs ever asked him to play.

For a player making just under $1.6 million, Lee was serviceable in his role. I don't think anyone can look back on it and say that signing him was a glaring mistake. Past his prime? Yes, for sure. But for what the Spurs were paying him Lee was doing exactly what was expected of him.

2.) Rudy Gay

Of all the players the Spurs have signed who were past their primes, Rudy Gay is probably the most beloved. One of the most explosive wings during his prime, Gay had to adapt his role when he came to San Antonio but retained just enough of his burst to delight Spurs fans with a rim-rattling highlight from time to time.

Coming off the bench for the majority of his time in San Antonio, Gay injected scoring and physicality from the wing position that the Spurs desperately needed. He continued to be a three-point threat, shooting almost 37 percent from behind the arc, and playing some of the best defense of his career for a coach who demanded it.

It's important that we don't overlook how much weight Rudy's voice also carried in the locker room. By the time he came to San Antonio, Gay was a seasoned veteran. His on-the-court contributions were important but his mentorship of the younger guys was just as significant.

Of all the players we've covered so far, Rudy is the only one who Spurs fans were legitimately sad to see leave. When he signed with Uath ahead of the 2021 season it wasn't because he was forced out. The Spurs were heading for a rebuild and that's not something that many veterans, Rudy included, typically want to be a part of.

All that said, Rudy did exactly what San Antonio asked for during the four years he spent here. Past his prime or not, we should all look at his tenure with the Spurs as a success.

1.) Pau Gasol

Pau Gasol's impact with the Spurs doesn't bother me nearly as much as how much the Spurs paid him. When Gasol signed with San Antonio ahead of the 2016 season he was locked in for almost $16 million a year. That's way more than anyone should have been paying a 36-year-old center with a lot of millage.

Gasol was fine, I guess? He started in almost 65 percent of the games he played in San Antonio and made a decent offensive addition in the frontcourt alongside LaMarcus Aldridge. But on defense he was atrocious.

Gasol was never known as a great defender - neither was Aldridge to be candid - and combining the two aging big men left the Spurs with a huge weak spot. The worst part is the Spurs did it to themselves. They should have known from the beginning that this was a bad idea.

I get the rationale, I really do. This was a team that still thought they could contend and they must have figured they could sprinkle some of the Spurs magic on the aging Gasol and get a few more solid years of play out of him. It just never worked out.

That's how it goes when you sign guys past their prime. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't and for every Robert Horry you're going to get at least a few Pau Gasol's.