Mavericks owner Mark Cuban commended the Knicks for taking a chance on shooting guard Ricky Ledo in an ironic turn of events, stating he could be “a steal.’’
Cuban waived Ledo following the All-Star break last month to make room for veteran Amar’e Stoudemire, whom the Knicks bought out to save $6.5 million.
The Knicks carried that open roster spot until Thursday, when injuries to Tim Hardaway Jr. and Cleanthony Early forced team president Phil Jackson into action.
The Knicks, who lost, 95-92, in overtime to the Timberwolves on Thursday night, signed the enigmatic but intriguing Ledo to a 10-day contract.
Once projected as a late first-round draft pick in 2013, Ledo fell to 43rd — deemed a risky project after being ruled academically ineligible his freshman year at Providence and not getting into a single game.
The 22-year-old Ledo spent two seasons with the Mavericks, but appeared in just 16 games.
“Ricky deserves to be in the NBA,’’ Cuban stated in an email to The Post. “He is incredibly talented. Because we are trying to compete for a championship, we really weren’t in a position to give him minutes to help his development. I think with playing time he will get better and better and could be a steal for the Knicks.’’
The 6-foot-7, 195-pound shooting guard was playing in the D-League with the Texas Legends, averaging 15.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He had shuttled back and forth all season before Dallas cut ties with him.
Ledo concurred with Cuban. “I loved Dallas, the team and coaching staff,’’ Ledo said. “I understood it’s a business. They wanted to win now for guys like Dirk [Nowitzki], who are on their last legs. This is the year to do it for them and they didn’t have time to develop me. I only played 44 minutes in two years. [There] was not much of a chance.’’
There had been reports around draft time Ledo had attitude issues. But Jackson has an affinity for big guards in his triangle offense, and the recent deadline trade for Alexey Shved has worked out well.
“We’ll find out,’’ Knicks coach Derek Fisher said when asked why Ledo hasn’t yet made it. “I can’t speak to his experiences on other teams, why it hasn’t or has worked out. He’s here with us now. I’ll only be able to base my opinion on what he can do here. He just hasn’t gotten the chance. He’ll get the chance here.’’
Ledo participated in the morning shootaround Thursday, was force-fed the triangle system and said he has a handle on it. But Fisher decided Ledo wasn’t ready yet and didn’t play him against Minnesota.
“It’s not that hard,’’ Ledo said of learning the triangle. “Pretty easy to pick up. It’s all about instinct and your basketball IQ. Triangle is made for taller guards who can shoot. It’s about instinct. Where you are the court and reading off other payers. I’m getting pretty acclimated.’’
Ledo said he had a long conversation with Fisher on Thursday and the club has “welcomed me with open arms.’’
“I’m more efficient [this year], less dribbles, more efficient scorer,’’ Ledo said. “The game slowed down for me this year.’’
Fisher said Ledo has a chance to make a case for sticking around next season — just as Shved has.
“[Ledo is] a talented young player, very skilled, handles the ball really well,’’ Fisher said. “He makes shots off the dribble and catch-and-shooting. Alexey is the perfect example — handle yourself accordingly and perform at a good level and for us or 29 other teams, it’s the best thing you can do for yourself. Ricky has that potential.’’