In attempt to clear cap space in order to pave the way for a blockbuster trade to acquire Dwight Howard, the Houston Rockets used the amnesty clause in order to waive forward Luis Scola. This move cleared more than $20 million off the cap for Rockets and officially put Scola into an amnesty auction for teams under the salary cap.

Once Scola was officially amnestied, the Dallas Mavericks were thought to be the team to submit the highest bid for the veteran forward. After acquiring Elton Brand through a similar process, the Mavs were no longer interested in bringing in Scola and became content with the roster. The Mavs were also able to acquire Darren Collison and Chris Kaman to make up for a lackluster off-season.

With the Mavs out of the picture, the Phoenix Suns took full advantage by submitting a winning bid to land Scola. This move was highly unexpected, but brilliant on the Suns part as they bring in another talented player in the aftermath of the Steve Nash trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Even though the consensus was that the Suns would be beginning an extensive rebuilding process after trading Nash, Phoenix has done a good job of reloading over the past few weeks with the Suns signing Michael Beasley, Goran Dragic and Scola.

Obviously, the Suns are a still a few players away from contending with the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, but they may not be as far away from reemerging as a legitimate force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference.

It remains to be seen if the Suns make any other moves in free agency or via trade, but they are reportedly interested in acquiring O.J. Mayo or Courtney Lee.

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