After signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Mavericks as an undrafted rookie out of Memphis in 2025, center Moussa Cisse was promoted to a two-way contract at the end of the preseason in October, then made 38 regular season appearances over the course of his rookie season. When he reached restricted free agency this offseason, he became one of three players to sign an offer sheet in recent weeks, ultimately having his two-year, minimum-salary contract from the Knicks matched by Dallas.

While Cisse is now on his first standard NBA contract, he’s not satisfied with simply signing that deal, which won’t become partially guaranteed until September 1.

“That’s what every basketball player wants, to be on a standard contract,” Cisse told reporters at the Mavs Hoop Camp on Tuesday (story via James Baxley-Cross of Dallas Hoops Journal). “That don’t mean the job is done. I gotta keep working.”

If Cisse remains under contract through Sept. 1, he’ll earn a partial guarantee worth roughly $1.1MM. Staying on the roster through Oct. 1 would ensure he receives his full $2.2MM salary for 2026/27.

The big man is the only one of 16 players on Dallas’ roster without a fully guaranteed contract, so making the cut this fall isn’t a lock. Still, he said on Tuesday that he was encouraged by discussions he had earlier this offseason with new team president Masai Ujiri and head coach Dusty May.

“I had a conversation with all of them,” Cisse said. “When Coach Dusty got hired, he reached out to me. That was beautiful: a head coach reaching out to you and then telling you he had faith in you and trust in you. That puts you in a position where you gotta work hard and not try to disappoint him, so that’s my goal. Going into the season and doing whatever it takes to win.”

We have more out of Dallas:

• Mavericks big man Daniel Gafford, who has been the subject of persistent trade speculation throughout the offseason, tells Ron Harrod Jr. of DLLS Sports (subscriber link) that he has no desire for a change of scenery but would accept it if that’s what the front office decides. “If they want to keep me, I’m more than grateful,” Gafford said. “And if they want to ship me off, I know it’s just another step in my career that I’m going to have to take.”
• After an underwhelming 26-56 season in 2025/26, have the Mavericks upgraded their roster this summer? Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required) tackles that question, observing that Kyrie Irving‘s return and Cooper Flagg‘s ongoing development bodes well for a better record in ’26/27, though it remains to be seen whether the roster will be properly balanced, with 10 standard roster spots currently devoted to frontcourt players.
• Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com also takes a closer look at Dallas’ roster, referring to a group of forwards and wings that includes Flagg, P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, Zaccharie Risacher, and Tarik Biberovic as the club’s biggest strength.