Knicks' Moussa Cisse Dream Suddenly Has New Life

After the initial free agency rush, the Knicks' offseason has primarily been headlined by failed center pursuits. They've collected a number of rejections and deals that didn't come to fruition, with Moussa Cisse being chief among them after the offer sheet New York gave him was quickly matched by the Mavericks, forcing the young big to return to Dallas.

However, it turns out Leon Rose might just get another shot at Cisse after all. On Friday it was revealed the Mavs were surprisingly bringing back veteran center Dwight Powell, adding another big to an already-crowded frontcourt and pushing Dallas over the roster limit.

The Mavericks have today formally re-signed Dwight Powell and league sources tell @TheSteinLine that Dallas has not ruled out trying to create a roster spot for him.

Media Day begins now at the @AACenter with the Mavericks already carrying the maximum 15 standard NBA contracts. https://t.co/5rEh9Kgnn8 pic.twitter.com/K4qUlwACTe
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 25, 2026

Suddenly, the Mavericks would need to offload someone from their roster to fit the beloved Powell, which could land Cisse on the chopping block and put him back on the market for the Knicks.

Knicks might get another chance to sign Moussa Cisse if Mavs cut him

Now, Dallas has other options in case it doesn't want to let go of Cisse to officially carry Powell by opening night. Fellow center Daniel Gafford is in the thick of trade speculation, and the Mavs' surplus at the position makes that an easier pill to swallow. Then there's cut candidates like Caleb Martin and Marcus Sasser.

That said, Martin is in the middle of a fully guaranteed $35 million deal, and Sasser carries a cap hit of over $5 million this season, so a release of either would only hurt the Mavericks' books.

Meanwhile, Cisse is the easiest player for Dallas to part with at the drop of a hat. He's playing on only a partially guaranteed deal, having received just $1.1 million so far. The remaining $1 million he's owed isn't conveyed unless he's on the roster once Oct. 1 comes, which is conveniently right around the corner.

The Knicks just signed 23-year-old 6’11 RFA Moussa Cisse to a two-year offer sheet

He flew under the radar for Dallas last year but has some INSANE tape 👀

Repped by the same agent as Pacome Dadiet pic.twitter.com/nhnM3gu9qj
— The Strickland (@TheStrickland) July 18, 2026

It doesn't feel like a mere coincidence that Powell's sudden return happened just days before the Mavs must decide whether to keep Cisse on the roster. Though the latter's potential is alluring, he also has only a 38-game sample size to his name, and Dallas didn't exactly rush to re-sign him this summer. It's more than possible the Mavericks would sacrifice the more unknown Cisse to have Powell on board to provide veteran leadership for a team with only two players older than 30.

It's important to note the Knicks cannot trade for Cisse for one year due to the offer sheet they initially gave him and the Mavs matching that, so their only route to adding the big is through him hitting waivers or becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Obviously, if Cisse were actually released, it'd be easy to see New York being all over him. His 4.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 1.2 bpg across an average of only 13.9 minutes per contest last season demonstrate some attractive upside at the five spot. His athleticism, knack for crashing the glass and blocking shots give him the chance to even fill the Mitchell Robinson-sized void left in the Knicks' hearts.

That ability to be the team's long-term backup center, or even more if the Karl-Anthony Towns contract talks go really awry, makes him someone to aggressively pursue should he become available. Although, those traits will also make other franchises covet him, and teams higher than New York on the waiver priority list could scoop him up before the Knicks even get a chance.

This makes Cisse-to-New York still a fantasy scenario than anything close to imminent. But at the very least, there's a world again where these two sides do actually join forces. It was the Knicks, after all, who made the offer to Cisse in the first place this summer, so perhaps there isn't as much competition to be worried about if he is waived.

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