As a Louisiana judge cleared two former NFL training camp participants to play in Saturday’s LSU showdown with Clemson, former G League Ignite standout Dink Pate sits at Providence College waiting for word on whether he’s eligible to play college basketball.
Pate is a 20-year-old former prep standout who chose the G League path after high school before name, image, and likeness deals were implemented in college. He played three seasons in the G League and had a summer league stint with the Knicks but never signed an NBA contract.
Meanwhile, as he navigated the G League trying to find his professional calling, college players began earning paychecks and the NCAA began reviewing players who wanted to go to college but had experimented with professional basketball.
Pate went undrafted in 2025 and then signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Knicks. He was released from that contract after one day, with the purpose of the deal to earn a $85,300 bonus to play for New York’s G League affiliate.
And while Pate played the 2025-26 season for the Westchester Knicks, averaging 16 points and 6.6 rebounds, he did not accept the club’s two-way contract offer, with his eyes on eventually playing in college. There have been former G League players and G League Ignite players who have been declared themselves eligible to play college basketball, as the NCAA continues to review the viability of the G League and summer league and whether players who have never played in an NBA game can retain their college eligibility.
Pate signed to play with Providence but is awaiting word from the NCAA as to whether he’s eligible for this season. The line between college and professional basketball continues to get increasingly blurry, but there have been dozens of cases of players who played professionally overseas being cleared to play in the NCAA.
Pate’s case is unique because of his age (20) and that he turned down an NBA contract to potentially retain his college eligibility.
“That precedent is there; there’s G League players that have been cleared for college,” Pate’s agent, Sam Permut, told the Globe. “There’s G League Ignite players from the very genesis of that program, which was kind of pre-NIL, like paying youth players that have been cleared. There’s players that played in summer league that have been cleared. International players that played in professional leagues for multiple years have been cleared. Dink never enrolled in college and left . . . So why should he be punished?”
The Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, and Big 12 have adopted ordinances banning players who have signed professional contracts from returning to college. Those mandates, however, apply to athletes attempting to return to college. Pate has never attended college.
The Big East, for which Providence is a member, has not made any statement but with the season not beginning until early November, the conference has time to deliberate.
The question is whether Pate, who signed that Exhibit 10 contract for one day in order to play in the G League but rejected a two-way deal, has been considered a professional. Should the NCAA consider him a special case since NIL was not available when he accepted the G League Ignite contract at age 17? And should American athletes who were paid professionally be treated differently by the NCAA than their international contemporaries who may have played professionally and yet were still declared eligible to play in college?
There are a handful of current college players who have international professional experience, such as James Nnaji, a former 31st pick by the Pistons in 2023 who played last season at Baylor and has transferred to George Mason. His draft rights were traded twice and he played parts of three seasons with FC Barcelona before applying for NCAA eligibility, which was granted.
“From an NBA standpoint, he’s never been an NBA player,” Permut said. “He has no years of service. He’s never participated from a pension or eligibility standpoint. He has no ties to the NBA. He does have G League years of service, so he’s been a G League player. But there’s been countless G League players that have played in college. NBA-wise, they look at it as he’s never played in the NBA. Zero years of service.”
In a statement released Dec. 30, 2025, former Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker, now president of the NCAA, said, “The NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract [including a two-way contract].”
In former Celtics two-way player RJ Luis’s case to return to college at LSU, the NCAA deemed his Exhibit 10 deal a G League contract. He has been granted an injunction to play for the Tigers.
The NCAA, as had been its reputation, has not provided any clarity and is taking considerable time making a decision. It seems NIL and the lure of riches in playing college basketball has made the eligibility waters murkier for players and the lack of definitive rules has made the issue confusing for players, colleges, and even NBA teams.
Pate has been at Providence for roughly three months and said he’s enjoying the college life, wants to continue his career with the Friars and is just waiting for the NCAA’s decision.
“College was one of the main things I was missing,” he told the Globe. “I had to learn how to be independent while being in that grown [G League] world with a lot of my teammates [who] were 30-year-olds and they had kids and they have wives. I’m the young buck on the team. Now I have a different type of life, me and my teammates chill and talk to each other. That was something I didn’t have. I haven’t been to college at all. I’ve had to adjust to having four classes on a Monday and having a two-hour practice. I feel at home here.”
WHAT NOW?
Clippers set to move forward
Now that the Clippers have been docked five first-round picks after being found guilty of circumventing the salary cap to secure contracts with Kawhi Leonard, their future appears bleak. But it’s not as bleak as it might seem.
While the Clippers were stripped of their own draft picks, they collected two Toronto first-round picks in the deal to send Leonard back to Canada. Those picks are in 2031 and ’33 and the Clippers also have their own 2029 first-round pick since the league has decided to take their Indiana pick — from the Ivica Zubac trade.
What interests Celtics fans is the 2028 first-round pick, which is not impacted by the NBA’s ruling. If that pick lands from No. 17 to 30, the Celtics will acquire it, adding to their own in the first round, which could change because the Spurs could swap with Boston, the final payment from the Derrick White trade.
If the pick lands No. 1 through 16, the Celtics could swap with the Clippers. The 76ers are involved here because if they somehow land a top-eight pick and Los Angeles lands a top-16, the Celtics have the right to swap the highest pick.
The question for Celtics fans is how good will the Clippers be in the next two years.
The answer is probably average this season but they’ll have plenty of cap space to sign a maximum free agent next summer. Brandon Ingram, acquired from Toronto, has a $41 million player option he could exercise unless the club is interested in a long-term extension. The salaries of Max Strus, Derrick Jones Jr., and Brook Lopez come off the books after this season. Rui Hachimura has a team option for 2027-28, so the Clippers could use their 2027 first-round pick, which is conditional, to add another quality player, as well as free agency to improve their roster.
The lack of draft picks will make trades more difficult because first-rounders usually are included as sweeteners. But the Clippers aren’t in a destitute place in terms of their roster. Darius Garland, Ingram, and Bradley Beal are former All-Stars. Keaton Wagler is a promising rookie while Jordan Miller, Kobe Sanders, and Yanic Konan Niederhauser are all prospects who could get considerable playing time in the next two years.
The Clippers had planned to move Leonard far before this ruling, but they weren’t going to strip their roster. The plan was to rely on Garland, Ingram, and Hachimura as primary contributors and hope that Gradey Dick could fulfill the potential in LA that he didn’t in Toronto.
Because of the anti-tanking rules, it will be difficult to determine what rebuilding actually is in this new day. The lottery odds have been shifted to favor the teams that finish outside the three worst records. Teams such as Brooklyn, Washington, and Utah appear finished with purposely losing. So how does that look for projecting the Clippers? It’s nearly impossible to tell at this point.
ETC.
Bottom five rankings in the East
The Eastern Conference may become more competitive than in recent years with the anti-tanking rules taking effect and teams such as the Nets and Wizards no longer in the early stages of rebuilding.
Games against the final five teams in the East will be difficult as the Wizards suddenly added two former All-Stars, the Nets nabbed an established scorer, and the Hornets reshaped their roster around their young cornerstones.
Let’s look at teams 11-15 in the conference.
▪ No. 11 Charlotte: Once again, the Hornets came close to their first playoff appearance in a decade but fell short with a listless performance against the Magic. And club management decided to make changes by parting ways with two mainstays in LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges. Coby White will shift to the starting point guard position while newcomers Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale will fill key roles. The departure of Ball could open up more scoring opportunities for Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel, while Naz Reid, acquired from Minnesota in the Ball deal, should be a nice addition to the frontcourt. The draft was fruitful with rookies Christian Anderson and Hannes Steinbach and Charlotte could easily compete for a playoff spot if things work out the right way, especially with their younger players.
▪ No. 12 Washington: Honestly, the Wizards could be one of the league’s surprise teams with the presence of Trae Young, Anthony Davis, and Brockton native AJ Dybantsa. It’s about time Washington took a step toward respectability and this is the season for progress. Alex Sarr is a coming off a solid second season, Tre Johnson is a promising guard while Kyshawn George could be a real surprise in his third season. There’s too much young talent for the Wizards not to be one of the league’s most improved teams. The question is how long Davis wants to be in Washington and whether he’ll demand a trade or contract extension. And of course, health will be a factor with the likes of Davis, Young, and Khris Middleton, who returned to Washington as a free agent. The Wizards have spent years compiling lottery picks, and some of that talent is beginning to pay off.
▪ No. 13 Brooklyn: It’s been a difficult few years in Brooklyn but things are looking up. With the anti-tanking rules, there is no longer an incentive to lose, and the Nets have racked up so many draft picks and young players in recent years, they should begin to show progress. Brooklyn began the summer by acquiring veteran Julius Randle to fortify the frontcourt and join swingman Michael Porter Jr., who enjoyed a fine first season with the Nets. They also added Keon Ellis and Mo Wagner for more depth. Brooklyn has nine players age 22 and younger, and French point guard Nolan Traore and second-year Egor Dëmin showed signs of being keepers. The Nets really didn’t need a point guard but they chose Louisville’s Mikel Brown, who could compete immediately for minutes. Jordi Fernández is considered one of league’s rising coaches and now he has some more talent and experience to work with.
▪ No. 14 Milwaukee: The Bucks decided to get out of the Giannis Antetokounmpo business and chose the Heat’s offer and got a haul in return. Tyler Herro returns to his hometown after enjoying his share of moments in Miami, where it appeared the Heat were ready to move on. Jaime Jaquez, Kel’el Ware, and Kasparas Jakucionis are also key pieces for a Milwaukee team that’s young but talented. The Bucks were able to use the first-round pick from the Heat on Tennessee’s Nate Ament and then added Arizona point guard Brayden Burries with their lottery pick. The Bucks had to move Antetokounmpo because they couldn’t build a championship-caliber team around him. But what they did for new coach Taylor Jenkins is give him enough young talent to eventually build a winner. Myles Turner and Kyle Kuzma do return along with sharpshooter A.J. Green, but it’s going to be strange to see the Bucks without Antetokounmpo as their anchor.
▪ No. 15 Chicago: There are many reasons to be hopeful in Chicago, starting with rookie forward Caleb Wilson, who sparkled in Las Vegas Summer League, and new coach Tiago Splitter, who led the Trail Blazers to a playoff appearance. But the rest of the roster has been overhauled, and the Bulls are going young. They signed Norman Powell for backcourt stability and he may very well be their leading scorer. Josh Giddey has turned himself into a triple-double machine after a difficult ending in Oklahoma City. Nic Claxton will take over as the starting center after being acquired from the Nets. The centerpiece could be third-year swingman Matas Buzelis, a premium athlete with scoring ability. The rest of the Bulls are prospects, such as Noa Essengue, rookie Dailyn Swain, and ex-lottery pick Rob Dillingham.
Layups
Not often are lottery picks traded away before their 22nd birthday but the Jazz moved on from the 10th overall pick in 2024, trading Cody Williams to the Timberwolves along with Jon Konchar for swingman Josh Green. That’s not a high return for a player the Jazz held high hopes for. He played two years in Utah after being a one-and-done at Colorado, averaging 7 points in 117 career games but just 23.7 percent from the 3-point line and fewer than 3 rebounds per game despite a 6-foot-8-inch frame. Former Celtics general manager Danny Ainge took Taylor Hendricks, who was sent to Memphis in the Jaren Jackson Jr. deal, and Williams with consecutive Top-10 picks. They’ve scored recently in the lottery with Ace Bailey and potentially No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson. The Williams situation is a testament to a lack of patience some teams are having with lottery picks who don’t pan out. Williams was another full year from potentially discussing a rookie extension but that long-term issue is now Minnesota’s concern. He will be hard pressed to get considerable minutes on a team filled with wings, but a fresh start could be exactly what Williams could use and he did show signs of improvement in his second season … The 76ers added two familiar names to their training camp roster in former Celtic Tacko Fall, who spent the past few years in China, and Jameer Nelson Jr. Fall last played in the NBA in 2021-22 and this may be an opportunity to catch on with Philadelphia’s G-League affiliate in Delaware. Nelson is the son of the former Celtics guard who is now the 76ers’ executive vice president of basketball operations … As we roll into September less than four weeks from the beginning of training camp, the Pistons and center Jalen Duren remain at a stalemate on a 2026-27 contract. The All-NBA center is eligible for a five-year, $287 million extension but after a rough postseason, Duren and the Pistons are not close on a new deal and the signing period began more than two months ago. Duren could accept the Pistons’ qualifying offer and play on a one-year deal with a no-trade clause, essentially betting on himself next summer a restricted free agent. A multiyear deal is in the best interest of both sides, but it could come down to the 11th hour before training camp begins.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.