The New York Knicks tried to pry Moussa Cisse away from Dallas once this summer. They may soon find out whether they will get another chance.
The Knicks are monitoring Cisse’s situation with the Mavericks ahead of a pivotal contract deadline, according to Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. Dallas must decide whether to fully guarantee the 6-foot-11 center’s contract by Oct. 1 while simultaneously trying to find a way to keep longtime Maverick Dwight Powell.
For a Knicks team still searching for another center, Cisse could represent something more intriguing than the veterans currently auditioning for the job.
New York’s interest is hardly new.
Knicks Still Have Moussa Cisse on Their Radar
The Knicks signed Cisse, then a restricted free agent, to a two-year, $4.7 million offer sheet in July. Dallas matched it, keeping the athletic 24-year-old after he averaged 4.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in 13.9 minutes across 38 games as a rookie.
But New York built an Oct. 1 guarantee date into the offer sheet, according to Winfield. Cisse’s first-year salary is only partially guaranteed until then.
That has become significant because Dallas has a roster squeeze.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported Sunday that the Mavericks have told Powell they intend to make a legitimate effort to find a pathway to retain the longest-tenured player on their roster. The problem is finding one.
Among Dallas’ most movable salaries are Cisse, Tarik Biberovic and Marcus Sasser, according to Stein, but Mavericks management “very much wants to keep” all three.
So this is not a case of Dallas looking to discard Cisse. The Mavericks want him. The question is whether the numbers ultimately allow them to keep everybody.
The Knicks are watching in case they do not.
Moussa Cisse Could Become New York’s Top Center Target
New York has reason to be patient.
The Knicks entered the offseason with Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti behind Karl-Anthony Towns. Both are gone. Robinson signed with the Boston Celtics after owner James Dolan publicly made staying below the second apron an organizational priority, while Hukporti joined the Philadelphia 76ers.
Andre Drummond was signed as the primary replacement, leaving Towns and Drummond as the established centers on the roster.
The Knicks have spent training camp searching for another.
James Wiseman and Drew Eubanks were brought in on non-guaranteed deals, and New York added another candidate Wednesday by signing veteran Tony Bradley to an Exhibit 9 contract. Bradley now joins Wiseman and Eubanks in what amounts to an open audition for another center spot.
Cisse could change that competition if he unexpectedly becomes available.
At 24, he offers a different profile from the Knicks’ camp options: a young, explosive rebounder and rim protector whom New York already valued enough to pursue in restricted free agency.
There are contractual complications stemming from Dallas matching the Knicks’ offer sheet, and the Mavericks have made clear through Stein’s reporting that they want to retain Cisse.
But New York does not have to make Dallas’ decision.
It only has to be ready if the Mavericks’ roster crunch makes that decision for them.
Knicks Monitoring Intriguing 6-Foot-11 Center Amid Training Camp Battle