NBA 2K21 Drops Full Ratings Update After Trade Deadline Passes
March 26, 2021
NBA 2K21 released its latest ratings update Friday on the heels of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.
Among players who were involved in big trades, new Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic dropped one point to 87 overall following his trade from the Orlando Magic. Meanwhile, swingman Evan Fournier went up by one point to 83 after the Magic traded him to the Boston Celtics.
Some of the biggest risers in the update include Oklahoma City Thunder center Moses Brown going up seven points to 74, Houston Rockets forward Kenyon Martin Jr. increasing six points to 73 and Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole getting a five-point bump to 77.
Also, a pair of youngsters in Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Anthony Edwards and Brooklyn Nets second-year center Nicolas Claxton went up by three each.
Edwards, who is now an 80 overall, may be the front-runner for Rookie of the Year honors now that Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is potentially done for the season with a broken wrist.
The former University of Georgia standout is averaging 16.9 points per game for the season and has scored 29 or more points in four of his past six games, including a 42-point outburst against the Phoenix Suns on March 18.
After being inactive for the Nets' first 32 games of the season, Claxton has come into his own lately as well.
The 21-year-old's seasonal averages sit at 9.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, and he scored 16 points in back-to-back games against the Washington Wizards and Portland Trail Blazers on March 21 and 23.
Much of the talk when it comes to the Nets focuses on the Big Three of James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but Claxton gives head coach Steve Nash another much-needed weapon.
Other ratings adjustments of note include Miami Heat guard Jimmy Butler going up one point to 91, Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George dropping out of the 90 club with a one-point reduction to 89 and Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns going down two points to 87 overall.