Guard/forward Dink Pate, currently with the Westchester Knicks, is examining the possibility of playing college basketball next season, agent Sam Permut of Roc Nation told DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony.
Pate finished high school in 2023, giving him a potential path to at least two years of NCAA eligibility beginning in 2025-26. Whether he can take that route remains uncertain because of existing NCAA rules on athletes who have signed NBA contracts.
The 6’8” swingman entered—and kept his name in—the 2025 NBA Draft but later accepted an Exhibit 10 agreement with the New York Knicks in September. NCAA President Charlie Baker said in December that any player who has signed an NBA deal, including two-way contracts, cannot compete in college basketball. Hoping to stay eligible, Pate has turned down several two-way offers from NBA teams, according to Givony.
It is still unclear if the NCAA treats Exhibit 10 pacts the same way it views two-way contracts. The organization’s recent response to a lawsuit filed by former Alabama center Charles Bediako suggests Exhibit 10s are a sticking point. The NCAA denied Bediako’s initial request to rejoin the Crimson Tide, citing three Exhibit 10 contracts he had signed—one of which converted to a two-way deal. A judge has since issued a temporary restraining order allowing Bediako to play while the case proceeds, with a hearing slated for next Tuesday.
A favorable ruling for Bediako could clarify Pate’s situation. If not, Pate may still mount his own legal challenge, as he has never held a two-way contract.
Although he has yet to formally apply for NCAA clearance, Pate could abandon the college track altogether should a guaranteed NBA offer surface before season’s end, Givony noted.
The 19-year-old has appeared in 27 games for Westchester this season, averaging 18.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 34.3 minutes while shooting 38.5 percent from the field, 35.6 percent from three and 74.5 percent at the line. He played for the Mexico City Capitanes last year after spending the 2023-24 campaign with G League Ignite.
Source: Hoops Rumors
