The 2026-27 CBA season opens October 16 amid major structural shifts that flatten title odds across the league. Reintroduction of promotion and relegation, expansion to 46 regular-season games, a 3-5-5-7 playoff format, and tighter foreign-player limits (three registered at once, six total) introduce fresh variables for every club. Widespread roster turnover, including new head coaches at more than half the teams and fresh import signings, has erased clear hierarchy. Defending champion Shanghai Sharks retained core domestic talent but integrated new foreign players, while traditional powers such as Liaoning, Guangdong, and Zhejiang also retooled. With no team posting dominant preseason form and every contender facing comparable adaptation challenges, traders assign nearly identical implied probabilities to a broad field.