Moussa Cisse’s place in Dallas just got a lot more secure.
The Mavericks locked in the second-year center’s deal by matching the offer sheet he signed with the New York Knicks this offseason, and on Tuesday, the first of two contract guarantees kicked in. That payment puts $1.1 million of his 2026-27 salary on the books, with a second guarantee set for Oct. 1 if the Mavs keep him.
Cisse’s salary is $2,185,116, and the guarantee structure shows how much Dallas values him after last season’s work. He started the year on a two-way deal, got converted to a standard NBA contract, and wound up carving out real minutes in the rotation.
As an undrafted rookie, Cisse averaged 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in just under 14 minutes per game over 38 appearances, including one start. For a team that needed bodies and energy in the middle, he proved useful.
Now he sits among the Mavericks’ 15 standard contracts for next season after the buyout of Klay Thompson last week. Dallas’ center group is built around Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, with Cisse behind them and a collection of athletic forwards who can handle interior work in small-ball lineups.
There won’t be many nights when two of those centers are sharing the floor, but Cisse’s value is in what happens when the depth chart gets tested. Dallas already lived through that last season when Lively got hurt seven games into the year and did not return.
The frontcourt picture is even more crowded now. The Mavericks also added 6-11 forward Morez Johnson Jr., their No. 9 overall pick in this year’s draft, and 7-footer Santi Aldama, acquired in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies this offseason. New head coach Dusty May will have plenty to sort through.
Cisse, who turns 24 on Sep. 10 and stands 6-11, could still become part of the long view in the Cooper Flagg era, especially alongside young, above-the-rim defenders like Lively and Johnson. Keeping him around says plenty about Dallas’ belief in his development and what he can give them right away.
The Mavericks open training camp on Sep. 22 and then head to China for two preseason games against the Houston Rockets on Oct. 9 and Oct. 11.
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For Dallas, the timing matters as much as the player. The Mavericks have been patient while Biberovic stayed overseas, but his long-awaited arrival also says something about where the organization sees its next layer of depth coming from. In a summer full of teams cashing in on old draft rights, Dallas is clearly signaling that this is the time to turn that planning into a real roster piece, even if the bigger question is how much more comes with it. [Read more 🡒]