The New York Knicks are doubling down on their investment in Dink Pate’s development, bringing the teenage guard under their organizational umbrella.
On Friday, the Westchester Knicks [announced](https://westchester.gleague.nba.com/news/westchester-knicks-acquire-the-returning-player-rights-to-dink-pate) that they had acquired the returning player rights to Pate from the Mexico City Capitanes in exchange for Boo Buie, in a trade that could lead to a two-way contract for Pate.
The move comes weeks after the Knicks signed Pate to an Exhibit 10 contract for Summer League, where he flashed his potential.
The 19-year-old appeared in five Summer League games, averaging 9.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, while shooting 40.0 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from three. Pate had his best game on July 19, putting up 20 points, 10 rebounds, four threes, and two blocks against the Washington Wizards.
Pate is no stranger to the G League system, mind you. The Dallas native first bypassed his senior year of high school to join the G League Ignite in 2023, becoming the youngest professional player in U.S. history at 17, a mark that surpassed Scoot Henderson’s record.
After Ignite folded, Pate landed with the Capitanes in Mexico City, where he averaged 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists over 34 games last season, playing 27 minutes per game. In 65 G League games across two seasons, Pate has averaged 9.1 points, 4.1 boards, and 2.7 dimes per game in 25 MPG.
Pate is a career 38% shooter from the field (9.3 FGA), 24% from three (3.1 3PA), and 64.5% from the charity stripe (1.2 FTA). He kept up slightly better percentages during last season’s Tip-Off Tournamente with the Capitanes, slashing 44.0/40.4/72.7 in 16 games playing 20.5 minutes per contest.
After acquiring his rights, the Knicks can now keep Pate in the fold through Westchester while considering him for one of their three open two-way roster slots.
It’s obvious that New York has a freaking loaded roster, or at least one of the strongest six-man units in the NBA. That said, depth has been an issue, and that won’t change as long as the top-heavy rotation and its high-salaried pieces stay there—which, in all honesty, let’s hope that’s the case so they can keep the Knicks’ championship window open.
By landing the raw Pate and his sky-high upside, however, the Knicks are betting on a promising long-term project and making a future play that simply carries little to no risk given what the franchise gave the Capitanes in return.
Stashing Pate in Westchester will give the player and the franchise time to evaluate his readiness for the NBA without immediate pressure, while keeping the option open to elevate him onto a two-way deal if his progress continues, perhaps even handing him his NBA debut throughout the upcoming regular season if new honcho Mike Brown wants to.
On a final, related note, New York also holds rights to Mohamed Diawara and Kevin McCullar Jr. for those two-way slots.
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