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Mark Cuban is CONGRATULATING LaVar Ball for his celebrity beef with Donald Trump ... saying the way LaVar has handled the China shoplifting crisis is straight out of Trump's playbook.

The Dallas Mavericks owner says the twist in the whole Ball vs. Trump war is that Ball and Trump are kinda like the same person.

They both know what to say to stay relevant. They both refuse to apologize for anything. They're both news media masters.

And, in the end ... Cuban says the real winner is the BIG. BALLER. BRAND.