{"id":883976,"date":"2026-10-16T05:10:54","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T05:10:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/883976\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T05:10:54","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T05:10:54","slug":"lakers-linked-to-intriguing-frontcourt-option-from-west-rival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/883976\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakers Linked to Intriguing Frontcourt Option From West Rival"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"9r\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/lakers\/onsi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> had the biggest offseason overhaul of any team in the NBA.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"9w\">Los Angeles welcomed nine new players to its roster, and while they&#8217;re confident their moves could take them to the next level, the roster still needs work.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"a1\">One of the Lakers &#8216; weaknesses is their backup center position. With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/lakers\/onsi\/lakers-walker-kessler-immediate-impact-preseason-debut\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Walker Kessler manning the middle<\/a>, there&#8217;s a big drop-off, as Lakers insider <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pjyufqgxoQ4&amp;t=573s\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jovan Buha<\/a> noted in a recent podcast appearance.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"a6\">Kevon Looney is far from a reliable backup, especially in the postseason. With the Lakers needing an upgrade at that spot, Buha mentioned Mavericks big man Moussa Cisse as an intriguing option.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"ab\">The 6-foot-11 center could be a casualty for the Mavericks. Dallas reportedly wants to extend Dwight Powell, and if they do, Cisse could be a name they try to move on from.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"ag\">The Mavericks could get rid of him as soon as this weekend, when they make roster cuts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think the most intriguing guy would be Moussa Cisse,&#8221; he said on\u00a0Buha&#8217;s Block. &#8220;I know there&#8217;s been some speculation he might be available because Dwight Powell played ahead of him in a Mavericks game.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Moussa Cisse\u2019s Future in Dallas Remains Worth Watching<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"b0\">Cisse entered this offseason as a restricted free agent. The New York Knicks initially signed Cisse to a two-way, $4.7 million offer sheet; however, Dallas matched the offer sheet.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"b5\">His $2.2 million salary for this season became fully guaranteed after the Mavericks kept him behind the Oct. 1 deadline.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"ba\">Buha noted it would be a surprise if Dallas waived Cisse, given how much they did to keep him by matching the Knicks&#8217; offer.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;At the same time, they did match his contract situation, or offer with the Knicks,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Maybe you just don&#8217;t wanna lose the asset for nothing, but then if you end up waiving the guy, you are losing the asset for nothing.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That might be the only guy that I think rises to the level of potentially being a rotation-level player,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>Moussa Cisse Could Be an Ideal Fit Alongside LukaDoncic<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-15\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"bs\">Cisse went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Memphis University. Soon after, Cisse signed with the Mavericks in July 2025 and was solid in limited action in Dallas.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-16\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"bx\">In 38 games last season, Cisse averaged 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks while shooting 57.4% from the field in 13.9 minutes per game.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-18\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"c8\">Cisse would be an ideal fit alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/lakers\/onsi\/luka-doncic-makes-strong-claim-about-lakers-new-look-roster\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Luka Doncic<\/a>, bringing high energy and a defensive-minded rim-runner profile. Doncic thrives with athletic bigs, and Cisse fits that bill, unlike Looney.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-19\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"cd\">Whether it&#8217;s Cisse or not, upgrading the backup big should be a top priority ahead of the trade deadline.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-20\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"ci\">Sign up to our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/lakers\/onsi\/newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">free newsletter\u00a0<\/a>and follow us on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@RyanWardLA\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">YouTube<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RyanWardLA\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LakersOnSI\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">X\/Twitter<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ryanwardla\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram<\/a> for the latest news.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" preventdefault:click=\"\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\" on:click=\"q-gom24Mkd.js#s_lDqay9E5m5g[0]\" q:id=\"co\">Follow<\/a><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Los Angeles Lakers had the biggest offseason overhaul of any team in the NBA.\u00a0 Los Angeles welcomed&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":883977,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[355,99],"class_list":["post-883976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=883976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/883977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=883976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=883976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=883976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}