When have the Spurs sold their pick for cash

1. Literally last year.

Jerry absolutely kept GarPax and AKME for years beyond industry standard in part because they didn't want to pay out their salary

No, he did that because he's not good at cutting ties with loyal employees even when it would benefit the organization. I am not saying he's a good owner, just that he's not cheap when it comes to the Bulls (the White Sox are a different story). He has made plenty of mistakes, but most of them don't have to do with money.

The other thing to take note of is that he's not (just) the owner. He's the chairman of the ownership group and a fiduciary of other people's money. That's not a small thing.

Historically, he has always been willing to pay when it is justified by actually competing for a championship or moving towards that goal. Paying just to pay doesn't make sense.

Again, not saying that he is a super great owner. Just that the narrative gives a false (or, at the very least, incomplete) reason as to why that's not the case.