Mavericks To Match Offer Sheet, Keep Moussa Cisse

The Mavs had until Monday at 11:59 pm ET to make a final decision, but they acted quickly to hold onto the second-year big man. Under the terms of the offer, his salary will be $2,185,116 for the upcoming season and $2,571,895 in 2027/28. However, as we noted earlier, his tax/apron hit for next season will be $2,449,421, equivalent to a veteran’s minimum for a player with two years of experience (rather than one).

Matching the offer gives Dallas 16 players with standard contracts and 15 that are guaranteed. The team also has a surplus of big men with No. 9 overall pick Morez Johnson Jr. and trade acquisition Santi Aldama joining Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington as options in the middle.

The Mavericks continue to explore trade opportunities involving Gafford that will include some type of value in return, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link). Siegel states that Gafford will “likely” be moved based on conversations at the Las Vegas Summer League.

Cisse will receive a $1.1MM guarantee on his $2.2MM salary for 2026/27 if he remains on Dallas’ roster past 11:59 pm September 1, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal will become fully guaranteed if he’s not waived before October 1.

Because the offer was matched, Cisse cannot be traded without his consent for a full year, and he can’t be dealt to the Knicks under any circumstances during that time. However, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron points out that Cisse is permitted to sign with New York if Dallas opts to waive him (Twitter link).

The Knicks are expected to explore other options in their search for a low-cost big man off the bench. They reportedly reached out to the Pelicans about Yves Missi and the Hornets about Moussa Diabate before extending the offer sheet to Cisse.

Cisse, 23, turned in a promising rookie season after going undrafted out of Memphis last summer. He came to Dallas’ training camp on an Exhibit 10 contract and was promoted to a two-way deal before last season began. He appeared in 38 NBA games, averaging 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 13.9 minutes per night. He also got into 16 G League contests with the Texas Legends.