I believe that's why MT 2K23 is phasing it out. They want you spending money and time on their sport. Rec is required if you wish to play 5v5. Simply put, I'm not a child anymore and do not have the time or money (money-wise or time-wise) to play in MyCareer. It's frustrating to know that the one thing I enjoy is being scrapped because it doesn't make any revenue.
I've put countless hours into 2k and I've been stupidly overjoyed at every new release for the better part of 10 years now. I even have a spreadsheet of all the games me and my friends have played. I love this franchise. However, there's no reason for me to buy future releases when they don't maintain this mode in.
I realize that there might not be many who are feeling the same and I'm just asking for this copy-and-paste feature to remain going forward until 2K23 and beyond. The game would lose something if it did not. All-Star Team-Up is scheduled to be phased out because it isn't profitable. It wouldn't take long to end the game in NBA 2K MT For Sale a copy-and-paste style, which makes me sad.