Before practice Saturday morning, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd asked his players to gather near midcourt.
Suspense built as Kidd began to speak, but for Mavericks undrafted center Moussa Cisse, it was a momentary sense of dread.
“I think,” Kidd said later, “he thought he was getting cut.”
Cisse’s apprehension became relief, then euphoria, when Kidd informed the team that Cisse had received a two-way contract, meaning he’ll start the season splitting time between the Mavericks and G League Texas Legends.
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The NBA regular season begins Wednesday for the Mavericks, but for many players it’s a nerve-wracking time until Monday’s 4 p.m. deadline for setting season-opening rosters.
When the Mavericks on Friday waived Dennis Smith Jr., Dalano Banton and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, the roster was reduced to the maximum of 18 players.
“Yesterday I didn’t see my name on the cut list,” Cisse said. “That gave me a little bit of hope. I didn’t know what was gonna happen. So I came here with a faith in God and ‘just work hard [attitude],’ like I’ve been doing.
“So today when Coach announced it, it felt very good.”
Cisse, a 6-10, 230-pound, 23-year-old from the West African country of Guinea, received the third and last Mavericks two-way contract. Guards Ryan Nembhard and Miles Kelly have the other two-way deals.
In June Cisse was signed to the Mavericks’ summer league team, where he impressed enough in Las Vegas to earn a training camp invitation. In three preseason games he had a combined six points, 12 rebounds and a team-high seven blocked shots.
“He’s earned it,” Kidd said. “He’s had a heck of a preseason/training camp. Things that he’s done for us in practice and then also in the games has been at a very high level. We’re really excited to have him on board.”
The Mavericks are well-stocked at center with Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford and Dwight Powell, with Anthony Davis sometimes sliding over from power forward.
But as Dallas learned last season, big men are a commodity and in short supply. As injuries hit the Mavericks’ interior hard, Kai Jones, Moses Brown, Kylor Kelley and Kessler Edwards all were summoned in emergency to start games at center.
After moving to New York at the age of 14, Cisse became a prolific shot-blocker in high school and college.
Dallas Mavericks defender Moussa Cisse (30) defends a shot by Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) during second half action. The two teams played their pre-season NBA game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on October 11, 2025.
Steve Hamm / Special Contributor
Before his high school junior season he moved to Memphis, where in one game for Lausanne Collegiate School he amassed 31 points, 22 rebounds and 21 blocked shots.
In his first and only season at the University of Memphis he was AAC Freshman of the Year. He transferred to Oklahoma State, where he made the Big 12 All-Defensive Team both seasons and was Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore. His nomadic college career then took him to Ole Miss, then back to Memphis.
“I feel like a defensive anchor every single night,” he said. “I love playing defense.
“I want, when people are playing me, to be like, ‘Man, playing against Moussa, he has energy and stuff.’ I feel like I want to do what I do the best at the highest level.”
After Kidd announced news of his two-way contract, teammates hollered their congratulations and clapped Cisse on the shoulders.
“The excitement, the pure joy of finding out that he made the team, I thought was an incredible reaction,” Kidd said. “But also it just showed the hard work that he put in.”
Outside of Dallas, it was a footnote transaction during a weekend of similar NBA announcements, but for Cisse there was nothing minor about the moment.
Training camp and preseason games had already been gratifying for Cisse, including after a training camp practice in Vancouver, when Davis took time to show Cisse how to stay balanced in the post.
Although two-way contracts are not guaranteed, Cisse at least has some security in knowing he’ll get paid pro-rated amounts based on his number of days with the Mavericks and with the G League Legends.
“It feels great, after all the hours you’re putting in in the gym, coming in and working,” he said. “Having opportunities like those, I’m really grateful.
“This is like a dream come true.”
Twitter: @townbrad
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