Mavericks' Texas rivals prepare for battle to the death with aggressive signings

With all of the movement that has been going on around the NBA over the last few days, the Dallas Mavericks are in for an absolute dogfight to begin next season, especially when it comes to their in-state rivals. Dallas got better after signing D'Angelo Russell to a two-year deal to solidify their 15-man roster, but the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets are definitely going to be two teams to watch as they both made moves that will help them match up better with Dallas.

While the Rockets' Kevin Durant trade will ultimately be what everyone talks about heading into the season, they also signed Clint Capela to a three-year deal while extending Steven Adams' contract. Houston now has three high-level centers on their roster, as they have Adams, Capela, and Alperen Sengun, and Dallas' two-big strategy seems to be rubbing off on the other teams in the Lone Star State.

The Spurs also made their presence down low felt, as they signed Luke Kornet to a four-year deal. The 7-foot-1 big made a name for himself with three strong seasons with the Boston Celtics, earning an NBA Finals win on the way, and San Antonio's rivalry with Dallas is only poised to intensify.

Rockets and Spurs fire back at Mavericks with major frontcourt upgrades

The Spurs are only going to get better next season, as Victor Wembanyama will be a year older and they had an incredible draft, and the Kornet signing in particular could have been made to help them prepare for facing some of the bigger teams in the West, such as Dallas and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Spurs didn't have the size, outside of Wembanyama, to compete with the Mavericks down low, and while the Kornet signing alone won't be enough for them to dominate the paint, it should help Wembanyama avoid some wear and tear while giving them more rim protection.

The Rockets, on the other hand, bolstered their frontcourt as much as anyone this summer, and they're going to have plenty of bodies to throw at Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, and Daniel Gafford. Having Sengun, Capela, and Adams gives them one of the better center rotations in the NBA, and they also signed Dorian Finney-Smith and extended Jabari Smith Jr.

After securing the No. 2 seed in the West last season, Houston has significantly improved this offseason, and they are in the perfect spot to be a top seed once again next season. The Mavericks are bound to have some great duels with the Rockets, as their versatile wing defense combined with their newly-found center depth will be an interesting matchup for Dallas to deal with.

It seems like teams around the league are looking to get bigger, especially all three teams in Texas, and soon we could be back to seeing all three teams in the playoffs on a regular basis. The Rockets and Spurs took the saying of "Everything is bigger in Texas" to heart, and Mavs fans should be prepared for some intense battles over the next few seasons.