The Dallas Mavericks were facing a roster crunch after the preseason but decided to waive veteran big man Dwight Powell to get back down to the standard 15-man roster limit.
The decision came down to second-year center Moussa Cisse or the veteran Powell, but the Mavericks decided to keep the higher ceiling of Cisse, rather than the higher floor of Powell.
Part of the reason that the Mavericks may have decided to keep Cisse was because of the interest in Cisse if he were to hit the open market.
It's a little hard to trade right now as teams are either under restrictions from the tax aprons or need to shed a player rather than add one.
Still, is there any world where the Mavericks look to trade Cisse down the road, especially once they get healthy?
Oct 16, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Moussa Cisse (30) warms up before the game against the Atlanta Hawks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Sunday night that the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks would've been interested in claiming him off waivers if he made it there, while the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers would have had interest in him on a two-way contract.
The Mavericks wouldn't have been able to re-sign Cisse to a two-way deal if they had waived him because they had given him too much guaranteed money from matching the offer sheet he signed with the New York Knicks. That's another reason why the Mavericks may have decided not to waive him.
As of now, the Mavericks are dealing with some injuries in the frontcourt, as Dereck Lively II is still recovering from foot surgery with no timeline available for his return, Santi Aldama is nearing his return from knee surgery in March, and Morez Johnson Jr. is on a minutes restriction as he deals with shin splints.
Until some of those guys get healthy, the Mavericks should hang onto Cisse. He may not have much trade value anyways, but if they could snag a second-round pick or two for a player who was undrafted just a year ago, it's a path worth exploring given how little draft capital they have moving forward.
The new front office of Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz will have to make that decision down the road, and that could open an avenue to bring Powell back in the future.
For now, the player with the 5th-most games played in franchise history is back on the open market, though it would be surprising to see him elsewhere.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/mavericks/onsi as Could Mavericks Trade Center After Drawing Interest From Lakers, Bulls? .
