The Rockets today traded Patrick Ewing, Jr. to the Knicks for the rights to Frederic Weis.  Nice story, right?  Ewing joins his dad's old team.

But why do the Rockets do this trade?  I mean, plenty of teams trade guys for nothing.  But that's when they need to get rid of salary.  Little Pat's contract wasn't guaranteed - all they had to do was cut the guy.

And in case you don't remember Frederic Weis, this really is a trade for nothing.  I think it's safe to say that he's not going to be playing in Houston any time soon, at the age of 31, nine years after he was a draft bust and 8 years after that dunk (I love that French commentary - it cracks me up).

So why does Houston make a trade instead of just waiving the guy?  Out of the goodness of their hearts?

I'm not suggesting any sort of conspiracy.  I mean, it's obviously some sort of favor to the Knicks or to Ewing or something, but we're talking about a late second round draft pick who didn't start on his college team, so the 'collusion' if that's the right word is on a very minor scale.  Still, if there was some other team out there, salivating over the prospect of picking up PE2 from the waiver wire, this would seem to be a little anti-competitive.  If the Knicks really wanted him, couldn't they have given up SOMETHING more than Weis?  Cash considerations? 

So I don't get it.  Anyone have any theories as to why the Rockets would do this?