In short, Take-Two interactive wants you to spend as much money as possible, while providing as little improvements and effort as possible.
Want to play the main mode of 2k and live your dream of being a player in the NBA? (MyCareer)
Better get that wallet ready: And If you don't, well, your character is going to be about as skilled as a pinecone. And try to have fun grinding the game for 300+ hours to get to the same level as those who chose to spend money, ~60 USD per character.
The MyCareer single-player story also assumes that you spent the extra money, because how would it make sense that a person without a single redeeming basketball skill makes the NBA?
MyCareer is also the main mode of online competition versus other players with 2v2, 3v3 and 5v5 games. Good luck finding anybody that is willing to play with you if you haven't upgraded your character. And if you somehow manage to get into a match, you won't be able to compete at all.
2k also actively tries to create an environment where players are encouraged to make new builds. Whether by changing various gameplay elements or releasing new and better animations.
That new Devin Booker spin-shot sure looks nice... Oh... thats right, I made my player one inch too tall, well... I guess I have to grind another 300+ hours (or pay 60$) to create a new useable character.
Want to create your own dream team with your favorite players from all eras? (MyTeam)
Welcome to the Take-Two casino disguised as a video game!
With the removal of the auction house from previous NBA 2k games, player cards are more expensive than ever, and 2k now sets the prices for all of the players.
But the gracious 2k developers do give you the option to grind for players, probably a couple hundreds of games to get a ok team of players. And again, good luck competing with your lineup of 5'7" plumbers from the 40s because you will most likely be facing someone who doesn't mind fueling 2k's greed.
Also, why do the player cards in MyTeam get so unrealistic? Instead of keeping to the real life players strengths and weaknesses, 2k decides to give everybody a high 3-pointer, crazy- athleticism, defense and dribble moves.
If you can get past all of this then you may just get to have some fun! At least if you can stand watching the majority of players spam the same dribble moves over and over.
