Mavericks saved themselves from a Moussa Cisse disaster by cutting Dwight Powell

Dwight Powell's journey with the Dallas Mavericks ended after 12 seasons on Monday, as the team cut him. Dallas now has 15 players on standard contracts ahead of the regular season's start on Wednesday, meaning none of Dallas' other players on standard deals are in danger of being cut unless an unexpected move happens over the next few days.

By moving on from Powell, the Mavericks avoided having to cut Cisse. He was believed to be the player most vulnerable to being waived if Dallas wanted to keep Powell, and by holding onto Cisse, the Mavs avoided a massive headache — for now and in the future.

Keeping Powell over Cisse would've been a disaster

Just imagine how painful it would've been for the Mavericks if they had waived Cisse to keep Powell. They would've been betting on a 35-year-old instead of a second-year big man who was one of the best rookie rim protectors in the NBA last season.

He ranked third among rookies (minimum 30 games played) in blocks per game (1.2), only trailing Dylan Cardwell and Ryan Kalkbrenner. Cisse did this while playing just 13.9 minutes per game, illustrating how impactful he was in limited minutes.

His minutes were energy-packed and filled with blocked shots, rebounding, and him running the floor as hard as he could, and teams would've been lining up to sign him had Dallas waived him.

Mavericks could've lost Cisse to multiple interested teams

NBA insider Marc Stein reported that both the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks would've been interested in claiming Cisse (subscription required) off waivers. Additionally, the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers had interest in signing him to a two-way deal if he had cleared waivers.

Seeing Cisse get picked up quickly after getting waived would've been a gut punch for Dallas, as they had a productive young player in their grasp, but the real headache would've been him thriving on one of these teams.

Cisse has real breakout potential

Cisse averaged 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 57.4 percent from the field as a rookie. He showed potential as a rim runner, shot blocker, and high-energy player off the bench, and his success was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the type of player he could become.

Moose was on track to become even better as he gained more experience, as his touch around the basket and feel for the game still need some work. He didn't start playing organized basketball until he moved to the United States as a 14-year-old, and he still had plenty of room to grow as his NBA career progressed.

Having such an impactful player on a cost-controlled deal, a two-year deal worth $4.76 million, is a great asset to have, and now the Mavs can focus on his development rather than having to worry about him breaking out elsewhere.

Losing Cisse for nothing, just for him to have a strong year on a different team, would've been a tough pill to swallow, especially since they would've been waiving him to retain Powell. The Mavericks showed a clear focus on the future by keeping Cisse and waiving Powell, and the idea of Cisse having a career year on a different team is off the table.

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