Mavericks face tough roster decision Jason Kidd just hinted at

The Dallas Mavericks only have 10 games remaining in the regular season, meaning some tough decisions are on the horizon. Jason Kidd hinted at one of these choices during his pregame press conference on Monday, as the team is giving Ryan Nembhard extended playing time to end the year to see what they have in him.

Dallas has plenty of young players to evaluate to end the year, as the playoffs are already out of the picture, and Nembhard's end to the season could have more of an impact than anyone realizes. He has been playing as much as anyone recently, and his increase in minutes has a specific purpose.

Ryan Nembhard is in the middle of a make-or-break test

The Mavericks converted Nembhard's two-way contract to a standard contract earlier this season, but what most fans don't notice is that his new contract comes with a catch. After this season, Nembhard's deal has a team option, meaning the Mavericks could decline it, and he would become a free agent if they do. His next season in Dallas isn't guaranteed by any means, and he needs to be at his best for the rest of the year if he wants to stick around.

The Mavericks need to fix their backcourt around Kyrie Irving if they hope to return to the playoffs next season, and Nembhard could find himself as a key backup to Irving if Dallas has long-term trust in him. He could also become a free agent if the Mavericks want to look elsewhere.

This would be a major shock, given they just converted his two-way to a standard contract, but it's definitely possible.

As Kidd said, the Mavericks are playing him heavy minutes to "have the eval on him." He just used Nembhard's name as an example, but the fact that he brought him up first is notable.

Nembhard is averaging over 25 minutes per game over the last six games, and Kidd has started him in four of these games. Brandon Williams hasn't played in the last three games due to a concussion, which naturally helps Nembhard get some more playing time, but Dallas is clearly putting him through a test right now.

Kidd said it himself.

"Be able to get enough minutes for those new pieces so we can have the summer understanding what we have," Kidd said. "That's something that we talk about as a staff, is making sure that Ryan gets enough minutes."

Nembhard is proving he belongs in Dallas so far

The Mavericks will have to decide if they want to keep their rookie point guard or allow him to hit free agency, and so far, Dallas has gotten solid results from their evaluation period with Nembhard.

He's averaging 7.7 points and 7.2 assists per game in these six contests while shooting 41.2 percent from three, showing the Mavericks what they have known about him since Summer League. Nembhard is a top-tier playmaker and table setter, but his self-creation and assertiveness obviously need to improve.

He has shown flashes as a three-level scorer at different points this season, and Dallas will need more of these moments moving forward. Undersized guards have to be able to do multiple things in today's NBA, and while Nembhard has already proven that he can be a solid scorer when given the opportunity, he has to continue to show it and expand his game.

Dallas will be forced to come to a conclusion with Nembhard this summer, whether they like it or not, and this could be one of their toughest choices of the offseason.