NEW YORK — Washington Wizards, welcome to the wild, wild East.

Amid their push to compete next season, the Wizards selected high-flying forward AJ Dybantsa out of BYU with the No. 1 pick in Tuesday night’s NBA draft at Barclays Center.

Equipped with elite athleticism and a hyper-competitive mentality, the 6-9 Dybantsa led the nation in scoring as a freshman last season at 25.5 points per game.

The 19-year-old emerged as the top prospect in a draft so historically deep that about a third of the NBA teams tanked last season.

Washington selected him over shot-making Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, who went No. 2 to the Utah Jazz, and do-it-all Duke power forward Cameron Boozer, who went No. 3 to the Memphis Grizzlies. Fast-rising North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson landed with the Chicago Bulls at No. 4.

The selection of Dybantsa provides Washington with a new franchise cornerstone while also supporting their mission to contend right away in the fast-improving Eastern Conference, where the Knicks are now the team to beat.

Earlier this year, Washington acquired a pair of All-Star veterans in point guard Trae Young and forward/center Anthony Davis in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline.

Those moves were made with the 2026-27 season in mind, as both players were nursing injuries when their trades went through. Young appeared in only five games after his trade, while Davis is yet to suit up for the Wizards.

That allowed the Wizards to continue tanking — they finished an NBA-worst 17-65 — but gave them a formidable lineup moving forward.

Dybantsa, Davis and Young — who declined a $49 million player option, then agreed to a four-year, $212 million deal with the Wizards this week — are joined by promising young players in 7-foot center Alex Sarr and guards Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Bilal Coulibaly and Will Riley.

“I bring versatility,” Dybantsa said. “With them re-signing Trae, having AD, I think I can just fit in as an off-ball guy that can score in different ways, score in transition, score off the catch, score off the dribble.”

He continued, “But also they challenged me, when they talked to me, like, ‘If we pick you, we want you to play defense, 94 feet and pick up.’ So I definitely bring that, too.”

The Knicks dominated the Eastern Conference playoffs this year, surging past the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers en route to their five-game series victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.

But the East is shaping up to be more of a beast next season as the Knicks’ competition retools and reloads.

The Wizards are one of at least three Eastern Conference teams poised to go from virtual non-factor to possible noise-maker next season — along with the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers.

After a 43-39 finish, the 10th-seeded Heat agreed this week to trade for superstar forward/center Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA MVP whom they plan to pair with All-Star center Bam Adebayo to create a defensive juggernaut.

Miami sent much of its young talent and depth to the Milwaukee Bucks to acquire Antetokounmpo and sharp-shooting big man Bobby Portis. Its roster remains far from a finished product, especially if veteran guard Norman Powell leaves in free agency.

But at the very least, the Heat are in the mix, now boasting the NBA’s fifth-best championship odds at 18-1, according to DraftKings. They are third among Eastern Conference teams, behind only the Boston Celtics (+650) and Knicks (+700).

And then there are the Pacers, who intend to contend again with All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton returning from the Achilles tear that cost him all of last season.

After losing Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Pacers plummeted to 19-63 without Haliburton last season.

Indiana got a head start on fortifying its roster by trading for sturdy center Ivica Zubac before February’s deadline. It was a costly move, as the 2026 first-round pick that the Pacers included in the deal was only top-four protected, and Indiana finished fifth in the draft lottery.

That meant Indiana had to send Tuesday night’s No. 5 pick to the Los Angeles Clippers, who used it on Illinois guard Keaton Wagler.

Still, a lineup of Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Zubac, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith is, on paper, one of the best in the East.

The Knicks will have to grapple with that, as well as a 60-win Detroit Pistons team that’s expected to address its shooting shortcomings this offseason.

The second-seeded Celtics, too, could retool after a first-round-series loss to the 76ers exposed their deficiencies at center and their over-reliance on 3-point shooting.

Jaylen Brown, whom the Celtics offered for Antetokounmpo, could still be on the move, should Boston choose to fully overhaul its identity.

The Cavs aren’t going anywhere, and the Sixers have talent when healthy. The Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors all have promising young cores that could take another step.

All of them are chasing the Knicks, and the outlook of the East figures to change even more as this offseason progresses.

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