Kyle Lowry Weighs In On Dispute With Kevin McHale, Future

This summer, the Rockets have a pair of tough decisions on Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic's futures. Today, Lowry weighed in on the Rockets' potentially moving him, revealing a conflict between him and Coach Kevin McHale. In the interview with the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen, Lowry remarked that "it would be tough" to bring both him and Coach Kevin McHale back.

Here are a few excerpts from Feigen's story:

Lowry does not believe he and Goran Dragic, his successor as the starting point guard this season, will both return to the roster next season. Lowry was even less confident he and Rockets coach Kevin McHale can successfully coexist.

"I don't think so," Lowry, 26, said. "I honestly think it would be tough. Things have to be addressed. The situation would have to be addressed.

"If things aren't addressed coaching-wise, I guess I have to be moved.""We're both capable starters. We both want it. It's going to have to be a situation where they make a decision on one of us.

"It has nothing to do with Goran. I'm not happy with the way coaches handled things. If management wants to do something to keep Goran, I think I'll have to be moved."

Jump for more on this developing story!

Kevin McHale and Daryl Morey both downplayed the dispute, saying that Lowry can still come back without a problem.

McHale:

"I didn't think we had too much of a problem coexisting this year. Everybody has a little beef every once in a while. I didn't feel like (there were problems). He apparently did. There were times that we didn’t agree on things. There were times that I got on him. I don’t think it was unduly harsh on anybody."

Morey:

"I think Kyle and coach McHale are both winners and both competitive guys. I don't anticipate any issues going forward."

We've obviously been leading to this confrontation for months because of Goran Dragic's impending free agency, but the quotes about the apparent rift between Lowry and McHale gave concrete backing to rumors of squabbles in the locker room. Management clearly did not want to make the brewing discord public knowledge, but information had begun filtering out that McHale had angered a number of veterans.

What's next? Kyle Lowry is a tremendous player, but he's no Dwight Howard. The Rockets are not going to fire Kevin McHale after one season solely because one of their best players had a bad relationship with him. Perhaps the two can work something out if the Rockets cannot re-sign Goran Dragic as they are hoping to, but look for Lowry to be traded sometime in July. Kevin Martin could be following him out the door.

The Rockets clearly have big plans for the summer, and a Kyle Lowry trade could help bring those plans to fruition. With Feigen's story today, that trade just became a lot easier.

What say you, Rockets fans?