The Knicks may not be done chasing Moussa Cisse after all.
New York’s offseason has already featured a string of center misses, and Cisse was one of the bigger ones. The Knicks put an offer sheet in front of the 23-year-old, 6’11” big man, but Dallas matched it and sent him back to the Mavericks. That looked like the end of the story.
Now it may be opening back up.
The wrinkle came Friday, when the Mavericks brought back Dwight Powell. Dallas is already carrying the maximum 15 standard NBA contracts, so adding Powell creates a roster crunch. If the Mavs want to keep him, someone has to go.
That someone could be Cisse.
Dallas does have other ways to clear room. Daniel Gafford is still in trade chatter, and the Mavericks’ depth at center makes that a more workable path.
Caleb Martin and Marcus Sasser are also cut candidates, but both come with financial complications. Martin is in the middle of a fully guaranteed $35 million deal, while Sasser carries a cap hit of over $5 million this season.
Releasing either would sting the books.
Cisse, by comparison, is the cleanest move. He is on a partially guaranteed deal and has only received $1.1 million so far. The final $1 million in his deal only becomes guaranteed if he is still on the roster on Oct. 1, which is right around the corner.
That timing makes Powell’s return hard to ignore.
It’s also worth remembering that Cisse is still more projection than proven piece. He has just a 38-game sample on his resume, and Dallas did not exactly rush to bring him back this summer. Powell, meanwhile, offers veteran stability for a team with only two players older than 30.
If Cisse does get waived, the Knicks would be waiting, but not with a clean path. Because New York’s original offer sheet was matched, the team cannot trade for him for one year. The only ways to get him are if he hits waivers or eventually becomes an unrestricted free agent.
If that happens, the fit is obvious. Cisse posted 4.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 1.2 bpg in just 13.9 minutes per game last season, and his athleticism, rebounding and shot-blocking give him real appeal at center. He could be a long-term backup option, or more if the Karl-Anthony Towns contract talks go really awry.
Of course, the Knicks would not be alone in that chase. Teams ahead of them in waiver priority could get there first.
So this is still a long shot, not a done deal. But after looking like a closed door, the Cisse-to-New York path suddenly has a little life again. And since it was the Knicks who made the original push, they’d almost certainly be in the mix if Dallas cuts him loose.
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