The Knicks’ brief run at Moussa Cissé says a lot about where the center market stands right now.
New York agreed to a two-year offer sheet with the Dallas Mavericks’ restricted free agent center on Saturday, hoping to line up a possible third-string answer behind Ariel Hukporti. Cissé, who was born in Guinea, also went to Christ the King High School in Queens, New York, the same school as NBA Finals hometown hero Jose Alvarado.
Dallas didn’t let it linger. The Mavericks had 48 hours to match the offer, but they needed less than 24 to decide they were keeping Cissé. That shut the door on New York’s latest target, but the move still offered a telling glimpse at how thin the market is for centers.
Around the league, teams have become far less eager to chase restricted free agents with offer sheets. The logic is simple: if the player’s original team is likely to match, why tie up cap space on a pursuit that probably goes nowhere?
In this case, the Knicks only had one roster spot left, and they were willing to hold it open for up to two days just to see if they could land a third-string center. That’s not exactly a sign of a deep pool.
It also suggests New York does not expect much to break loose soon. The Knicks are not trying to fill a bunch of open spots, so it made sense to take a shot at Cissé and, at the very least, force Dallas to make a quick decision on his restricted free agency.
They already addressed the position once this offseason by signing Andre Drummond to a one-year veteran’s minimum deal. The Mount Vernon, NY native brings one obvious calling card: elite rebounding. The tradeoff is just as clear, since his defensive limitations are part of the package.
Still, the Knicks have enough defensive pieces and enough playmakers to help cover for Drummond’s weaknesses. Mike Brown has handled tougher jobs than that. Even so, New York also has a stash of second-round picks from its latest draft night boogaloo, and that gives the front office another way to attack the center spot - or any other need - before the 2027 NBA trade deadline.
That kind of flexibility matters because some teams could end up with a surplus. The Los Angeles Clippers and Orlando Magic, for example, project as having three rotation-capable centers or more, which could create the kind of logjam front offices eventually try to turn into a trade. The best deals help both sides, and the Knicks may want to keep their options open for a midseason upgrade.
As annoying as it can be to spend the first round of every NBA Draft wondering which team will wind up trading for the Knicks’ pick, those selections give them room to wait.
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