The reigning champions seek to bolster their frontcourt with Dallas’s athletic young rim protector, forcing the Mavericks to weigh depth concerns against a looming free agency deadline.
The long history of big men moving between the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks may continue.
On Saturday, 23-year-old restricted free agent Moussa Cissé agreed to a two-year offer sheet with the reigning-champion Knicks, per The Stein Line's Jake Fischer.
Dallas has through Monday to decide whether or not it will match Cissé's offer sheet. The financial specifics of Cissé's deal have not yet been revealed.
Cissé, a former undrafted free agent out of Memphis, potentially joins a slew of other centers to have stints in both Dallas and New York alongside the likes of Tyson Chandler, Samuel Dalembert, Nerlens Noel, Amar'e Stoudemire and Kristaps Porzingis.
Per Fischer's reporting, the Knicks had been after a young, athletic center since the departure of Mitchell Robinson — who joined the rival Boston Celtics.
To fill that hole, New York checked in on the availability of the New Orleans Pelicans' Yves Missi and the Charlotte Hornets' Moussa Diabaté before extending an offer to Cissé.
After not being selected in the 2025 NBA Draft, Cissé eventually joined the Mavericks through a two-way contract back on October 18.
In his rookie campaign, Cissé made 38 appearances (one start) while playing 13.9 minutes each night.
He'd conclude his first season as a pro averaging 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 0.5 steals per game.
Cissé split time between the Mavs' active roster and the G-League's Texas Legends, where the numbers were far more striking.
In 15 appearances (all starts), Cissé produced 14.7 points and 13.1 rebounds per game, 4.9 of which came on the offensive glass.
He was even more productive defensively than he was with Dallas, averaging 2.1 blocks and 0.7 steals per appearance with the Legends.
After losing Marvin Bagley III to the Denver Nuggets this summer, our own Grant Afseth detailed the importance of retaining Cissé for frontcourt depth.
"Bagley's exit leaves Dallas with less interior strength: Gafford and P.J. Washington remain, but Lively is still recovering from foot surgery, and Powell remains unsigned and might not return," Afseth wrote back on July 2. "The Mavericks brought in Morez Johnson Jr. using the ninth overall pick in this year's NBA Draft and traded for Santi Aldama from the Memphis Grizzlies, but neither provides the paint presence that Cissé offers at the center position. Cissé is the most cost-effective and sensible option to cover those minutes."
Now that Cissé is headed to the Empire State to try and replace the void of production left behind by Robinson, Dallas will be forced to look elsewhere for a pocket-friendly big.
