The New York Knicks formally signed free-agent wing Dink Pate to an Exhibit 10 contract on Friday and immediately waived him, a sequence that effectively locks him into the organization’s G League pipeline ahead of the league’s upcoming season.
The transaction, announced by the team, comes just days before the October 19 deadline for Exhibit 10 deals, ensuring Pate remains eligible for a bonus that can reach as high as $91,000 on top of a standard G League salary if he spends the year in the developmental league.
Pate’s path to this point has been shaped by an unresolved bid for NCAA eligibility.
A G League veteran who spent time with the Ignite program in 2023-24 and the Mexico City Capitanes the following season, he committed to Providence last spring after reportedly declining both 10-day and two-way NBA offers during the prior campaign.
That decision reflected an effort to preserve a college career, yet the NCAA’s review never reached a clear resolution.
Because Pate had already signed an Exhibit 10 contract with New York last fall, any late eligibility ruling risked arriving after the window for a new Exhibit 10 had closed, potentially leaving him without the contractual bonus tied to G League service.
Rather than wait, he withdrew from school and returned to the professional track.
On the floor with the Westchester Knicks last season, Pate produced at a high volume across 50 games.
He averaged 16.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 0.9 steals while logging 31.9 minutes per contest.
His shooting splits of .400 from the field, .346 from three-point range and .740 from the free-throw line reflected a role built heavily around perimeter attempts, positioning him as a versatile wing capable of creating both for himself and others in a developmental setting.
The sign-and-waive maneuver is standard for Exhibit 10 players: the brief NBA contract grants the team the player’s G League rights while the subsequent waiver clears the 15-man roster.
For Pate, it provides a defined path back to Westchester with the added financial incentive intact.
At a moment when college eligibility for players with prior professional contracts remains tightly scrutinized, the move prioritizes a stable developmental opportunity over further uncertainty.
Whether that leads to another call-up opportunity later in the season remains open, but the immediate outcome is clear: Pate will begin the G League year under the Knicks’ umbrella with the contractual protections he sought.
