The Chicago Bulls are still two days from the start of a new era, but the roster chatter is already moving.
With NBA cuts set to ripple across the league on Monday, Chicago suddenly found itself attached to one of the names floating around the wire: Moussa Cisse. According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the Dallas Mavericks were weighing whether to waive the 6-foot-11 big man because of their roster crunch, and Stein said the Bulls were among the teams that may have been willing to claim him as a "high-energy big man."
That possibility has now taken a different turn. The Mavericks opted to waive Dwight Powell instead of Cisse on Monday afternoon, meaning the 24-year-old big man will seemingly stay in Dallas and not reach the open market. Still, the report is worth paying attention to because it suggests Chicago was at least exploring another center option before the season even begins.
That alone is a little surprising given how much work Bryson Graham has already put into the middle of the roster. He brought in Nic Claxton from the Brooklyn Nets, brought back Zach Collins on a two-year deal, and got Jalen Smith back in the fold. On paper, that gives the Bulls three usable centers for 2026-27.
Tiago Splitter has even talked about using all three in the rotation this season. The logic is tied to the pace Chicago wants to play: keep bodies fresh, keep the energy up, keep the legs moving. But Splitter’s view also seems to be that each of those bigs has earned minutes if they’re healthy, and each one offers something that can fit with the rest of the roster.
That’s what makes the Cisse report noteworthy. If the Bulls were really eyeing another center, then the front office may not be as locked into the current three-man group as it appears.
It also raises the question of whether Chicago could be more willing to move off one of those players than fans might expect. At the same time, none of the three looks like a clear long-term answer at the position, which is exactly why the Bulls can afford to keep looking.
Cisse himself would have been an interesting fit. He went undrafted in the 2025 class, made multiple All-Defensive Teams in college, and came into the league as a true rim-protecting center with a reputation for playing hard. In his rookie season with Dallas, he posted 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 13.9 minutes per game.
His biggest night actually came against Chicago on April 12, 2026, when he put up 17 points and ripped down 20 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass.
Splitter has spent the preseason talking about crashing the boards and embracing a physical style, so it’s easy to see why a player like Cisse would have caught some attention. The current Bulls group can bring some of that, but it doesn’t exactly scream size, power, or durability.
That doesn’t mean Chicago is definitely going back to the well at center anytime soon. It’s entirely possible the interest in Cisse was overstated. But the rumor still tells you something important about where things stand: the Bulls are keeping their options open, and this front office is not treating the roster as finished.
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Hawks Face A Roster Squeeze If This Big Man Hits The Market
Moussa Cisses status in Dallas has put a few teams on alert as the league heads toward the October 19 roster deadline. The Mavericks are reportedly at risk of waiving the big man, and if that happens, NBA insider Marc Stein has said there will be a market for him almost immediately.
The Bulls are among the clubs said to be monitoring the situation, along with the Hawks, Lakers and 76ers, all looking at the possibility of adding a frontcourt piece without giving up anything in a trade. Nothing is settled yet, but Cisses next move could quickly turn into a race of timing, roster space and whether a team decides he is worth the claim. [Read more 🡒]