The potential ugly tanking consequence Nets have to keep fighting

HOUSTON — Early days, the Nets tank appears safe. But losing is the easy part.

The hard part is walking the tightrope of losing without becoming losers.

In the most star-driven league in sports, it’s impossible to argue the importance of getting a franchise-changing talent. The most direct path to one is through the draft — or more to the point, through the lottery.

Through losing.

Brooklyn’s tanking efforts a year ago were unsuccessful, with a stronger-than-expected start leaving the Nets drafting a disappointing eighth.

Between the coaching of Jordi Fernández, and the leadership of Dennis Schröder, Dorian Finney-Smith and Cam Johnson, the Nets woke up on Thanksgiving 9-10 and tied for seventh in the East — or out of the lottery picture altogether.

But this time? The situation is far uglier.

Understand that players do not tank, and neither do coaches. Organizations do that, by taking the former away from the latter. And after GM Sean Marks traded away Schröder and Finney-Smith during last season, he made sure to ship out Johnson this summer so as not to have a repeat.

Mission accomplished.

The Nets woke up Monday in Houston as one of just five winless teams in the league, and none of the other four are tanking. Both of Brooklyn’s perceived lottery rivals — the Jazz and Wizards — already have notched victories. And Brooklyn’s schedule just gets nastier from here.

Starting with Monday’s tilt at the Rockets and old friend Kevin Durant, the Nets play nine straight games without facing a single soft opponent in the bottom third of the league’s latest power rankings. Brooklyn’s record is likely to get worse as they force-feed their record five first-round rookies extensive playing time.

But some fans dreaming of stud prospects AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer don’t see the inherent dangers that could worry the Nets.

No, make that should worry the Nets.

“A lot of these teams that try to bottom out by tanking like Brooklyn is doing, they think there’s no consequences,” one agent told The Post. “You risk eroding the environment you’re trying to create.”

Translation: Tanking can work, but only microdosing.

Top 10 picks are great, and they often come in with positive intentions of helping turn around a franchise. But tanking for years on end can pollute the waters.

Sacramento stacked up 10 straight top 10 picks from 2009-18 without a single winning season, Charlotte had 10 in a dozen years from 2004-15 before finally reaching the postseason in 2016, and Washington got one in six of the past seven drafts, but here the Wizards still are — in a tank-off against the Nets.

That’s why it’s so important that Fernández continues to demand a high standard in practice and in games, even as the losses mount. Especially as the losses mount.

“So proud of the effort,” Fernández said. “They stayed together. And that’s who we want to be moving forward.”

The Nets cut a 25-point deficit against the Cavaliers in the third quarter down to one in the fourth before dropping their home opener. One game later, they turned a 26-point third-quarter deficit into a five-point edge in the fourth before falling in San Antonio. That fight pays dividends … if they can keep it up.

“We’re doing a good job of fighting and staying with it and sticking to our culture and our foundation,” Cam Thomas said. “So everything’s good so far.”

That’s part of the reason Fernández took a technical with 3 seconds left Sunday, not over a play but for his players. After a 35-7 free-throw disparity against the Cavs and a 12-2 fourth-quarter discrepancy vs. the Spurs, Fernández wanted to show them he was fighting for them … and show the refs that the Nets are still fighting, stars or not.

“My guys need to see I’m fighting for them. The officials need to see that whether we have young guys or whoever we play with, we’re going to keep fighting, and that’s who we are,” Fernández said. “[It’s] just a statement that wherever we go — at home, on the road — we’re going to fight and fight against everybody.”

Fighting to keep losses from turning them into losers.