Former G League Ignite guard/forward Dink Pate, who is currently playing for the Westchester Knicks, is exploring potential college options, agent Sam Permut of Roc Nation tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link).
As Givony writes (via Twitter), Pate graduated high school in 2023, which could put him in position to receive at least two seasons of NCAA eligibility, beginning next season. However, it’s unclear whether or not the 6’8″ swingman will be granted eligibility based on the NCAA’s current rules.
Like former second-round pick James Nnaji, who enrolled at Baylor this winter, Pate declared for – and kept his name in – an NBA draft (in 2025). However, unlike Nnaji, Pate has since signed an NBA contract, having completed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Knicks this past September.
NCAA president Charlie Baker said in December after Nnaji joined the Bears that any player who has signed an NBA deal, “including a two-way contract,” would not be permitted to play NCAA basketball. According to Givony, Pate has turned down multiple two-way contract offers from NBA teams with an eye toward retaining his college eligibility.
Baker’s comments in December didn’t clarify whether the NCAA views Exhibit 10 contracts as disqualifying. Exhibit 10 deals are non-guaranteed and only put a player in line for a modest bonus if he subsequently spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.
As Givony observes, former Alabama standout Charles Bediako has sued the NCAA in an effort to rejoin the Crimson Tide for the rest of the 2025/26 season (story via Myron Medcalf of ESPN), and the organization’s response to that lawsuit provides a strong hint at its stance on Exhibit 10 deals. In a statement, the NCAA explained that Bediako’s initial bid for eligibility was denied because he has “signed three NBA contracts.” All three of those contracts were Exhibit 10s, though the 23-year-old big man had one of them converted into a two-way deal.
If a judge grants Bediako eligibility, it would make Pate’s situation more straightforward. But even if Bediako’s request for injunctive relief is denied, there may be a path for Pate to mount his own eligibility challenge since he has never been on a two-way contract.
[Update: Bediako has been granted a temporary restraining order, allowing him to participate in activities and games for Alabama, per Nick Kelly of AL.com. A hearing on the preliminary injunction has been scheduled for next Tuesday.]
While Pate is keeping his options open, he hasn’t sought NCAA eligibility to this point and could forgo the college route altogether if a guaranteed NBA deal materializes before the end of the season, per Givony.
Pate has appeared in 27 games for the Knicks’ NBAGL affiliate this season, averaging 18.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 34.3 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .385/.356/.745. He spent last season with the Mexico City Capitanes after playing for the Ignite in 2023/24.