With the Nets removing themselves from consideration for the Dwight Howard sweepstakes on Wednesday, the Rockets are likely considering themselves the frontrunners. To prepare for advanced trade negotiations, Houston is strongly considering using the amnesty clause on power forward Luis Scola. This would allow the Rockets further cap room in order to acquire some of Orlando's long-term, and unattractive contracts. The strange part is Luis Scola is viewed as a very good role player around the league, making very reasonable money at roughly $7 million per year.
To create enough cap room for the kind of blockbuster trade that has been proposed, the Rockets are considering making veteran forward Luis Scola an amnesty cut, likely in the next 48 hours, a person with knowledge of the move said. That would create enough cap room for the Rockets to take on the additional contracts necessary to complete a trade for Howard.
Scola, 32, is due $21 million guaranteed over the next three season. The Rockets could wait until July 17 to make Scola an amnesty cut, in which he would receive his full guaranteed salary but not count against the salary cap or luxury tax figures, but received information that he would have a better chance of moving to a stronger team if the move was made quickly.
