The Dallas Mavericks are keeping their 6-foot-11 restricted free agent center. They matched the New York Knicks’ two-year offer sheet for Moussa Cisse on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
New York had signed Cisse to the $4.7 million offer sheet earlier in the day, but Dallas used its right of first refusal to retain him well before the 48-hour deadline that was set for Monday. The first year of the contract is reportedly half-guaranteed, with the second season being non-guaranteed.
Wait, Who Is Moussa Cisse?
Cisse is a raw but physically gifted big man out of Ole Miss — not a rookie off the board from the latest draft but a player Dallas has had its eye on for a while. He went undrafted in 2023 and spent most of last season in the G League with the Texas Legends, where he averaged around 10 points and 11 boards per game while showing some real shot-blocking instincts. The Mavericks liked him enough to retain his restricted free agent rights, which is why they had the option to match in the first place.
For New York, this was a low-risk flier. They’re a team that’s been hoarding big bodies and looking for cheap developmental depth behind their starting frontcourt. Cisse fits that mold. He’s not ready to play real minutes in a playoff rotation yet, but the second-year guarantee structure meant the Knicks could take a look without much commitment if Dallas let him walk.
Dallas didn’t let him walk.
Why the Mavs Matched
The Mavs are still in the thick of their Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving window, and they need young, cost-controlled players who can eventually absorb minutes. Cisse is not a rotation guy right now — maybe not even this season — but Dallas is clearly betting on his development. The front office has been steady about building out their big man depth after the Dereck Lively II pick paid off so quickly. Cisse is a different kind of player: longer, more raw, more of a project. But if the shot blocking translates and he can clean up the boards, he’s a cheap fourth big who could be something in a year or two.
There’s also the simple math. A two-year deal at $4.7 million, with only the first year half-guaranteed, is basically found money for a team already over the cap. Matching costs them almost nothing in terms of future flexibility, and if Cisse doesn’t pan out, they can waive him with minimal dead money.
If he does pan out? They’ve got a 6-foot-11 center on a bargain deal while championship-contending teams are paying backup fives eight figures.
New York will move on. They’ll find another developmental big or target a veteran minimum guy. For the Mavericks, this is a small but smart move — the kind that doesn’t make headlines in October but can pay off in February of a long season.
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