Moussa Cissé kept his first public reaction brief.
Hours after ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Dallas Mavericks had matched the New York Knicks‘ two-year, $4.7 million offer sheet for the restricted free agent center, Cissé reposted the news on his Instagram Story with a simple message.
“Alhamdoulilah 🙌🏾🙌🏾.”
The Arabic phrase, more commonly spelled “Alhamdulillah,” translates to “Praise be to God” and is widely used by Muslims to express gratitude.
HeavyMoussa Cissé reposted ESPN insider Shams Charania’s report on his Instagram Story after the Dallas Mavericks matched the New York Knicks’ two-year, $4.7 million offer sheet, adding the message, “Alhamdoulilah.”
While Cissé offered no further comment, the post came after Dallas committed to the first standard multi-year NBA contract of his career.
Mavericks Reward Cissé With Financial Upgrade
The Mavericks’ decision marked more than just a roster move.
Cissé spent last season on a two-way contract, which limited both his NBA salary and the number of games he could be active during the regular season.
By matching the Knicks’ two-year, $4.7 million offer sheet, Dallas rewarded the 23-year-old center with a significant financial upgrade and a standard NBA contract.
The deal includes a partially guaranteed first season, with roughly half of Cissé’s approximately $2.2 million salary protected if he is waived before Sept. 1. The second year of the contract, worth approximately $2.5 million, is non-guaranteed.
For a player who entered the offseason without a guaranteed spot on an NBA roster, the contract represents a major career milestone regardless of which team signed it.
His social media post reflected gratitude without addressing the Knicks or the Mavericks directly.
Knicks’ Pursuit Ends — For Now
New York targeted Cissé after exploring several other options to bolster its frontcourt.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Knicks previously explored trades for New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi and Charlotte Hornets big man Moussa Diabate before pivoting to Cissé in restricted free agency.
The Knicks’ offer sheet drew praise from around the league.
ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks described it as an “under-the-radar” signing, while NBA analyst Nate Duncan applauded New York’s strategy of using modest offer sheets to pursue promising restricted free agents.
Dallas ultimately agreed with that evaluation by exercising its matching rights.
One Narrow Path Still Exists for Knicks
Although the Mavericks retained Cissé, salary cap experts have noted that one unlikely scenario remains.
Salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron explained on X that because Dallas matched the offer sheet, the Knicks can no longer acquire Cissé via trade.
However, if the Mavericks were to waive him before his contract becomes fully guaranteed, New York would be free to pursue him as a free agent.
Marks noted that Dallas currently has 16 players on standard contracts, with Cissé the only player whose 2026-27 salary is not fully guaranteed.
Marks also pointed out that because the Mavericks matched the offer sheet, Cissé cannot be traded without his consent for one year and cannot be traded to the Knicks during that period.
Veteran NBA insider Marc Stein, meanwhile, cautioned against assuming Dallas’ frontcourt is set.
Speaking on the DLLS Sports podcast shortly after Charania’s report, Stein noted that the Mavericks are still fielding trade interest in Daniel Gafford and have additional roster decisions to make before training camp concludes.
“If this was September 19th, then I think we could look at it and say, yes, there’s a logjam that needs to be addressed,” Stein said. “Or maybe even August 19th.”
Stein added that it is premature to assume Dallas has completed its offseason.
“I just think it’ll be a lot easier to answer those questions when we know that the moves for the offseason are really done,” Stein said. “It makes little sense to me to proclaim them done.”
For now, though, the Mavericks have made their intentions clear.
By matching New York’s offer sheet, Dallas kept one of the offseason’s most intriguing young defensive centers—and gave Cissé both job security and the first standard multi-year NBA contract of his career.
Knicks Target Moussa Cissé Has 1-Word Response After Mavericks Move