Hornets coach Clifford to step down at the end of season
Bills trade star WR Diggs to Texans for second-round pick
The Buffalo Bills are trading their top receiving threat, Stefon Diggs, to the Houston Texans in a deal that was agreed to on Wednesday.
In announcing the trade, the
Bills acquired the Texans’ secondround pick in the 2025 draft, which Houston acquired in a trade with Minnesota. Houston also acquired Buffalo’s sixth-round pick in this year’s draft, and a fifth-rounder in 2025.
Diggs’ departure from Buffalo leaves quarterback Josh Allen without his favorite target, and breaks up a tandem that has re-written the team’s passing records since the receiver’s arrival in a trade with Minnesota in March 2020. Together they transformed a Bills offense into becoming one of the NFL’S most potent, while helping Buffalo win four straight AFC East titles.
The 30-year-old Diggs has nine years of NFL experience and topped 1,000 yards in each of his past six seasons. In his first season in Buffalo, he became the Bills’ first player to lead the league in both yards receiving (1,535) and catches (127).
Diggs’ production began slipping in the second half of last season, which coincided with Buffalo firing offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and promoting Joe Brady, who placed a renewed emphasis on the running attack. Diggs finished the season with 107 catches and 1,183 yards — both lows during his tenure with the Bills — and eight touchdowns.
He finished his time in Buffalo with 445 catches for 5,372 yards and 37 touchdowns to rank fourth on the team list. Diggs holds the top four spots on the franchise list for single-season receptions and the top two spots for yards receiving.
Overall, he has 1,178 catches for 9,995 yards and 67 touchdowns since being selected by the Vikings in the fifth round of the 2015 draft out of Maryland.
Diggs has four seasons left on his contract as part of a four-year, $96 million contract extension the player signed in August 2022.
LSU’S Reese declares for the WNBA Draft via Vogue shoot
Bayou Barbie is WNBA bound. LSU star Angel Reese, who is known for her eyelash extensions, painted fingernails and ferocious play in the paint, formally declared for the WNBA draft on Wednesday. Her announcement comes two days after the Tigers’ season ended with a loss to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the Elite Eight round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Reese, who has expressed an interest in working in fashion and modeling, announced her decision via a photo shoot in Vogue, saying she was inspired by tennis great Serena Williams announcing her retirement in 2022 in a similar manner.
Reese, a dynamic, 6-foot-3 forward who can run the floor, guard the perimeter and block shots anywhere, likely will join Clark, the expected No. 1 pick by Indiana, as one of the top players drafted on April 15. Draft analysts have projected Reese as a seventh or eighth overall choice. An undeveloped outside shot is among the few questions about her game as she leaves college.
Reese averaged 20.9 points and 14.4 rebounds per game at LSU, including seven games with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. Reese became the first SEC player since Vanderbilt’s Wendy Scholtens in 1989 and 1990 to lead the league in both scoring and rebounding in consecutive seasons.
Reese has played four college seasons but was among those athletes granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA because their careers overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Steve Clifford said the grind of an 82-game season became too much — and the losing didn’t help, either.
So Clifford informed the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday that he is stepping down as head coach after the season. He plans to stay on in an advisory role, with the details still being worked out.
It doesn’t help that the Hornets are 18-57 this season and just 45112 over the past two seasons under Clifford.
Clifford declined to say if his health factored into his decision.
Clifford is 337-457 in parts of 10 seasons as a head coach, most of them in Charlotte. He started as a head coach in Charlotte in 2013, then spent three seasons as coach of Orlando before returning to the Hornets.
Clifford’s contract was set to expire after the season.