Mavericks' trade target just proved exactly why he's Cooper Flagg's ideal co-star

Riding hot on a four-game winning streak, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Golden State Warriors on Thursday to improve to this season's best mark, but an underlying theme of the game was Jonathan Kuminga's performance and eventual injury.

Kuminga is a player who could fit well alongside Cooper Flagg, and he's been rumored as a Mavericks trade target in recent weeks. He impressed heavily in nine minutes of action before having to leave the game in the second quarter due to left knee soreness.

Butler's recent injury thrust Kuminga back into Steve Kerr's rotation after not being in it for a month, so while the Warriors undoubtedly need someone of Kuminga's skillset given Butler's injury, there's still a good chance Golden State tries to move on from Kuminga ahead of the trade deadline.

Jonathan Kuminga's audition is impossible for the Mavericks to ignore

Kuminga demanded a trade as soon as he was trade-eligible on January 15, and everyone in the league knows his relationship with the Warriors is sticking out like a sore thumb right now. Obviously, Kuminga wasn't just trying to play well against Dallas as a means to audition for them, but he definitely put together a solid performance if this ultimately ends up being a dress rehearsal.

Kuminga scored 10 points in just nine minutes of action last night, also registering two steals and two assists. He was getting out in transition for easy buckets through his athleticism, and he got to the rim multiple times en route to drawing fouls or converting with tough finishes. His defense was stout, too, so it's clear he was trending toward having an awesome game versus the Mavericks.

Whether it's Anthony Davis or Klay Thompson that would be going back to the Bay Area in a theoretical Kuminga-to-Dallas trade, getting Kuminga to the Mavericks in exchange for one of Dallas' veterans would be a great way to jumpstart the Flagg era. Kuminga is only 23 years old, and still has potential to be a bona fide three-level scorer if he can improve his outside shot, as his offensive skillset and ability to get to his spots is definitely above average for a wing his size.

If this game was a showcase for Kuminga in terms of Dallas trading for him ahead of the deadline or down the line, then the Mavericks have to be enamored by the potential skill and athleticism they could have at both wing spots if they paired Flagg and Kuminga together one day.

Granted, Kuminga has plenty of work to do as a shooter and playmaker, as does Flagg to an extent, but the two of them together could potentially form a tantalizing duo on the wing, and Dallas should be building for the long-term anyway. We'll see if anything materializes on the Kuminga-to-Dallas front within the next two weeks ahead of the trade deadline, but Kuminga put forth a great audition at the American Airlines Center on Thursday night, so long as he's not seriously injured.