X Marks Suns’ Spot in Trade With Seattle : Pro basketball: McDaniel to Phoenix. SuperSonics get Eddie Johnson, two No. 1 picks.

The Phoenix Suns acquired high-scoring and temperamental forward Xavier McDaniel from the Seattle SuperSonics on Friday for swingman Eddie Johnson and two first-round draft picks.

The trade between the two struggling teams might be one that allows the Suns to challenge for the NBA title this year and it might help Seattle build for the future.

Phoenix (8-7) has lost three in a row, while the SuperSonics (5-10) ended a six-game losing streak with a 105-103 victory over Miami on Thursday night.

“We feel we need this type of player,” Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said of McDaniel before the Suns beat New Jersey, 129-110, Friday night. “He’s tough, physical and an outstanding offensive rebounder, which is an area we need help with.”

The SuperSonics also said they were happy with the trade.

“Eddie Johnson is instant offense,” club President Bob Whitsitt said. “He is one of the league’s best pure shooters. And this will allow (Coach) K.C. Jones to reposition some of our players to their more natural roles.”

When the SuperSonics lost, 106-100, Friday night in Orlando, Derrick McKey started at small forward and Shawn Kemp at power forward. McKey played power forward last season and also has played that role this season.

“Xavier has definitely been a big plus for the Sonics’ organization,” Whitsitt added. “On the basketball court, we’re giving up offense and getting offense plus two No. 1 picks in return. But in the community, X has been wonderful for us and we wish him the very best.”

In return for McDaniel, 27, the SuperSonics will receive the Suns’ first-round draft pick in 1991 and a first-round choice in either 1993 or 1994.

The Suns have two picks in 1993 and will give Seattle the better one if it is not a lottery pick. If it is, then the SuperSonics will get the Suns’ top choice in 1994.

McDaniel was leading Seattle in scoring with a 21.8-point average. The 6-foot-8 forward has averaged 20.6 points in his six-year pro career. He was an All-Star in 1988.

Johnson, a nine-year pro, has been the Suns’ top player off the bench in recent years. He averaged 16.9 points last season after averaging 21.5 and earning the NBA’s sixth-man award in 1988-89.

This season, he has averaged 13.5 points in 15 games, but has not been asked to score as much.

Johnson, 31, learned about the trade 75 minutes before the Suns took the court against the Nets.

“I’ve known it was coming,” said Johnson, who sat in his Suns’ uniform answering questions. “You can tell. People act differently.

“I’ve been sensing it over the past week. Once we started struggling, I knew something was going to happen.”

Johnson said he expected that either he, Tim Perry or Kenny Battle would be traded.

“This gives me new life and a chance to go show what I can do,” Johnson said. “My role changed here from last year in the playoffs to now. I wasn’t asked to score, so I tried to work on my defense.”

With McDaniel, the Suns will probably start a front line of McDaniel, Tom Chambers (6-10) and Mark West (6-10) along with Jeff Hornacek and Kevin Johnson at the guards. Chambers had played with McDaniel at Seattle before signing with the Suns as a free agent.