Knicks Sign Mavericks’ Moussa Cisse to Offer Sheet: What You Need to Know

What Just Happened?

The New York Knicks have signed Moussa Cisse — a center (a tall player who usually stays near the basket) for the Dallas Mavericks — to a two-year offer sheet. An offer sheet is like a job contract one team gives to another team’s player. Because Cisse was a restricted free agent, his old team (the Mavericks) gets to decide if they want to keep him by matching the offer.

This was first reported by Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, and confirmed by Shams Charania of ESPN.

Understanding the Contract Details

Here’s the simple breakdown of Cisse’s proposed deal with the Knicks:

• Next season (2026/27): 50% of his salary is guaranteed (the team promises to pay half for sure).
• 2027/28 season: Not guaranteed at all (the team could cut him and pay nothing).
• Full guarantee trigger: If Cisse is still on the team on October 1, his 2026/27 salary becomes 100% guaranteed.
• Money limit: The Knicks are close to a strict spending limit (called the second-apron hard cap), so they can only pay him about the lowest allowed salary (the minimum).

Important: Dallas has until Monday at 11:59 pm ET to decide whether to match the Knicks’ offer and keep Cisse, or let him go to New York.

Why the Knicks Wanted Cisse

The Knicks were looking for a young backup center (a second-string big man). Before signing Cisse, they tried to trade for:

1. Yves Missi (from the Pelicans)
2. Moussa Diabate (from the Hornets)

Those trades didn’t happen, so they went after Cisse instead.

Who Is Moussa Cisse?

Let’s get to know the player:

• He is 23 years old and from Guinea (a country in Africa).
• He is an athletic lob threat (good at catching alley-oop passes) and a rim protector (blocks shots near the basket).
• He went undrafted last year after college (meaning no NBA team picked him in the draft). He played at Memphis and two other schools over five college seasons.
• He started with a small training-camp deal (Exhibit 10) with Dallas, then got a two-way contract (a mix of NBA and minor-league G League play) right before the 2025/26 season.
• Last NBA season: 38 games, averaged 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in about 14 minutes per game.
• In the G League (minor league): 16 games, averaged 14.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks.
• Dallas gave him a two-way qualifying offer last month, which made him a restricted free agent.

Can the Mavericks Keep Him?

From a money view, yes — Dallas has the cash to match. But there are other factors:

• Dallas already has 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts.
• Their big-man options include:
  • Dereck Lively II
  • Daniel Gafford
  • Morez Johnson Jr. (a rookie, picked 9th)
  • Santi Aldama (mostly plays a different position)

However:

• Lively has been often injured.
• Gafford had an ankle problem most of last year.
• Johnson is a beginner.
• Aldama plays more at the “four” (forward) than center.
• Cisse was one of the best two-way players in the NBA last year, so Dallas may not want to lose him for free.

Important: A wildcard is Dallas’s new front office led by president Masai Ujiri and GM Mike Schmitz. We don’t know if they like Cisse enough to keep him.

Summary

The Knicks gave restricted free agent Moussa Cisse a two-year, mostly non-guaranteed minimum-level offer sheet. Dallas can match until Monday night. Cisse is a young, athletic center who played okay in the NBA and great in the G League last year. The Mavericks have other centers but some injury and experience concerns, plus a new management team that may or may not value him.

FAQ

1. What is a restricted free agent?
A player whose old team can choose to match any offer from another team to keep him.

2. What does “two-way contract” mean?
It lets a player spend time in both the NBA and its minor league (G League).

3. Why can’t the Knicks pay Cisse more?
They are near a hard spending limit (second-apron cap), so they can only offer near the minimum salary.

4. What happens if Dallas does not match?
Cisse becomes a Knick under the new offer sheet terms.

5. Who reports this news?
Jake Fischer (The Stein Line), Shams Charania and Bobby Marks (ESPN).