9 Players the San Antonio Spurs held onto for too long

San Antonio Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol
San Antonio Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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8. Jacque Vaughn

Vaughn quickly became a Gregg Popovich favorite after signing with Spurs in 2006. The veteran was a backup guard on San Antonio's championship squad in 2007 in his best season as a Spur. He played more minutes during the regular season, but Vaughn fell out of the rotation as the Lakers knocked off the Spurs in the 2008 Western Conference Finals.

That was the beginning of the end for the 6’1 point guard. Vaughn played one more season, but he was limited to just 9.7 minutes each night and only appeared in two postseason games. He retired in 2009 but kept hanging around the Spurs.

Jacque Vaughn took a role as an assistant coach in 2010, and that was the start of a long tenure on the bench. He is currently the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, and the 48-year-old is quick to give credit to coach Pop.

The San Antonio Spurs just could not quit Jacque Vaughn. He played just 2,191 minutes over three seasons or about what LeBron James plays in 62 games. Still, Popovich loved his basketball intelligence and ability to help the team. It allowed him to last three seasons as a player in San Antonio and another two as an assistant before springboarding him into multiple head coaching roles.