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. 4

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 situatio

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