The Dallas Mavericks had to choose between veteran and youth for their final big man roster spot for the 2026-27 NBA season.
Moussa Cisse is apparently the choice — youth and upside winning out over experience.
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There had been a lot of speculation in recent weeks about Cisse missing the final Mavs roster, and a lot of rumor mills were swirling about contenders that might try to pick him up.
But on Monday, the Mavericks made a different roster decision, one that suggests Cisse has his spot.
Mavericks Make Moussa Cisse Decision
The Mavs haven't officially announced anything about Cisse, but it's their other roster move that points out what is happening here.
The Mavericks waived Dwight Powell on Monday — you can read more about the reasoning at this link
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And it's the Powell cut that suggests Cisse is safe.
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It seemed the Mavericks would only be able to keep one of those two guys on their roster to begin the 2026-27 NBA season.
Powell had played a dozen seasons for the Mavs. He's 35 now, but he brings a veteran know-how that nobody else on the Dallas roster has.
Cisse is raw upside, the kind that may never amount to more than a bench player but also could grow into more if he hits the right way.
The Mavericks, a young team that wants to grow in the years ahead, has evidently sided with the upside.
What to Know About Moussa Cisse
Now that Cisse appears to have held Powell off the Dallas roster, it's worth it for Mavericks fans to re-familiarize themselves with him.
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The 24-year-old center stands 6-foot-11 and is originally from the country of Guinea.
He was well-traveled both in high school and college — he played at Oklahoma State, Ole Miss and Memphis after appearing with at least three high school programs.
Cisse went undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft but latched on with the Mavs.
They gave him 38 games in 2025-26, and he averaged 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
Cisse shot 57.4% from the field as a rookie, although his foul shooting (46.9%) left a lot to be desired.
He seems like a potential rim-running, rim-protecting, lanky big man who can provide a useful vertical and length dimension to what Dallas does on the floor.
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Given that Cisse is just 24, he simply provides more opportunity to still grow into a key NBA contributor than Powell would have. That also seemed relatively clear by the other teams rumored to want Cisse if he got cut.
For now, the Mavericks have taken Cisse's side in this decision, and it'll be up to him to validate their choice.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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