The New York Knicks’ last conceivable path to Moussa Cisse appears to be closing.
Dallas matched the Knicks’ two-year, $4.7 million offer sheet for Cisse in July, preventing New York from signing the restricted free-agent center. League rules also prohibit Dallas from trading him to the Knicks for one year.
That left one remote possibility: The Mavericks could waive Cisse while resolving a crowded roster before opening night, allowing the Knicks to pursue him as a free agent.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has now provided compelling evidence that Dallas has no intention of doing so.
Windhorst connected the Mavericks’ decision to buy out Klay Thompson directly to their desire to retain Cisse as insurance behind injury-prone center Dereck Lively II.
“I was talking to an executive this week,” Windhorst said on ESPN’s “The Hoop Collective”. “He was saying that the Mavericks did that buyout for Klay. Basically, they got $10 million off their books, but they’re eating at least half the contract this year—a little less than half—and they kept Cisse.”
The Mavericks’ financial sacrifice effectively shuts the door on the waiver scenario New York had been monitoring.
Moussa Cisse’s Remaining Path to New York Disappears
The Knicks structured Cisse’s offer sheet to make Dallas face a legitimate roster decision.
Only approximately half of his $2.2 million salary for the coming season was initially guaranteed. The remaining amount becomes guaranteed on Oct. 1, while the second season of the deal, worth approximately $2.5 million, is non-guaranteed.
After Dallas matched, salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan explained that New York could no longer trade for Cisse.
“There would be one exception,” Gozlan wrote on X. “They could sign him if he’s waived.”
Dallas carried 16 standard contracts at the time, and Cisse appeared to be its most financially painless potential cut.
Thompson’s buyout changed the calculation. Dallas opened a roster spot and created approximately $10 million in financial relief, eliminating the pressure that could have pushed Cisse onto waivers.
Windhorst said the decision reflects concern about both Lively and Daniel Gafford, though the organization’s anxiety is greater with Lively.
“They are a little bit worried about Lively—and Gafford to a lesser extent—but they’re still worried about Lively,” Windhorst said.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon responded bluntly.
“How could you not be?” MacMahon said. “Just look at the games played, unfortunately.”
Cisse Would Have Filled Clear Knicks Need
Cisse’s production explains why both teams wanted him.
The 6-foot-11 center averaged 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in only 13.9 minutes across 38 games as a rookie. He shot 57.4% from the field and ranked third among first-year players in blocks per game.
His numbers translated to approximately 11.7 points, 14.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per 36 minutes.
Cisse also ended the season with the best performance of his young career. He recorded 17 points, 20 rebounds, two blocks and two steals against the Chicago Bulls, tying Roy Tarpley’s Mavericks rookie record for rebounds in a game. Ten of his boards came on the offensive glass.
That combination of youth, rebounding and rim protection made him an appealing target for a Knicks team attempting to replenish its center depth.
New York lost Ariel Hukporti to the Philadelphia 76ers and Mitchell Robinson to the Boston Celtics. Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond are firmly established atop the center rotation. Cisse would have provided a young, athletic backup behind them who could develop while supplying rebounding and rim protection when called upon.
The Knicks still have two standard roster spots and all three two-way slots available. They can continue searching for a young center through free agency, waivers or a trade, but the most intriguing player they targeted this summer now appears firmly embedded in Dallas’ plans.
Cisse technically could still be waived. Windhorst’s report, however, makes that possibility difficult to take seriously.
Knicks Get Bad News on Coveted Center After Klay Thompson Buyout