Ex-Northwestern Star Heading to Mexico City in G League Swap

The former Northwestern captain is on the move, and his NBA odds are more complicated.

Mar 24, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Chris Collins reacts with guard Boo Buie (0) in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Boo Buie's professional career got weirder today, as he was part of an under-the-radar G League trade.

Buie spent last season playing for the Westchester Knicks, New York's affiliate in the league. This morning, the team announced via X that Buie's returning player rights had been traded accross the border to the Mexico City Capitanes in exchange for Dink Pate.

The Westchester Knicks have acquired the returning player rights to Dink Pate from the Mexico City Capitanes in exchange for the returning player rights to Boo Buie.

— Westchester Knicks (@wcknicks) August 22, 2025

What makes this complicated for Buie is that he's going from the Knicks to a team unaffiliated with any NBA squad. Mexico City is the only such organization in the G League. On the surface, this seems like a very bad thing, and that's not entirely an inaccurate outlook.

To be clear, Buie can still be "called up" and signed by any NBA team from Mexico City. The Capitanes, despite their unaffiliated status, are a fully-functioning member of the G League that NBA organizations can utilize to find young talent.

However, it is true that teams often look in-house first when they need an addition to the pro roster. For that reason, it's hard to sugarcoat this as a positive development for the former Northwestern great.

Buie had a decent start to his professional career last season with the Knicks, averaging 11.1 points and 3.4 assists per game in 27 contests. He then played in the NBA Summer League for the Denver Nuggets, mostly coming off the bench.

Now, Buie will head to a completely new country to keep pursuing his NBA dreams. This is still just his second season away from Northwestern, after the led the 'Cats to two straight NCAA Tournament berths and became the program's all-time leading scorer.

Some Wildcats fans might start to wonder when Buie will make the decision to head overseas, but, again, this is year two. While this trade may not help his NBA hopes, it likely won't be a reason to abandon them just yet.

If Buie shines for the Capitanes, he can still attract the attention of any number of NBA squads.

Pate, the Knicks' return in the deal, has only ever known G League basketball. He came into the league as a member of the now-defunct G League Ignite before heading to Mexico City last season where he averaged 10.1 points.