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Trade Breakdown: Austin Back in 2022 Team Series Championship Race with Kasel Acquisition; Kansas City Looking Toward the Future

By: Justin Felisko

PUEBLO, Colo. – It was no secret Austin Gamblers (11-11) General Manager JJ Gottsch was going to do everything possible to attempt to improve his .500 team at the PBR Team Series Trade Deadline.

If there was ever a doubt the Gamblers needed a facelift, well, that realization came when two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme broke his ribs over Labor Day weekend, exposing the Gamblers lack of talent and depth beyond a few pieces.

The team has lost eight of its last 10 games heading into this weekend’s Rattler Days in Fort Worth, Texas, at Dickies Arena.

The good news is that Leme had almost two weeks to let his broken ribs heal some more after he aggravated them at Thunder Days on Sept. 24. However, even a healthy Leme is not going to be able to lead the Gamblers to the inaugural PBR Team Series Championship by himself.

In five-on-five bull riding, a team needs more than one impact rider.

Gottsch changed Austin’s odds in a major way on Thursday afternoon.

The Gamblers acquired 2019 PBR Rookie of the Year Dalton Kasel from the Kansas City Outlaws in exchange for a 2024 first-round draft pick, 2025 second-round draft pick, 2017 Velocity Tour champion Alex Marcilio and cash considerations.

Let’s take a look at the trade and how it can benefit each team.

KASEL GIVES AUSTIN STOUT FIREPOWER

The Gamblers are not messing around.

They just pushed all of their chips into the middle of the table and are going “All In” on winning the 2022 PBR Team Series Championship.

It is not often a 23-year-old World Champion contender becomes available on the open market.

Kasel most recently finished a career-best, No. 6 in the 2022 world standings with three 15/15 Bucking Battle wins on the Unleash The Beast. Kasel is a home run rider with 17 career 90-point rides on the premier series. He averages 87.69 points per ride.

This move not only helps Austin this season, but getting Kasel locked up in a multi-year endorsement deal ensures the Gamblers will have the dynamic Leme-Kasel duo to attempt to win multiple championships. They also still have their first-round pick for the 2023 draft.

Give credit to Gottsch, who has made it clear to the other seven teams in the league that Austin’s checkbook is going to be open, and flowing come the offseason. Instead of waiting until free agency, though, Gottsch was able to pounce once Kasel became available.

To be fair, Kasel struggled in Kansas City and was only 6-for-17 (35.29%). A broken jaw sustained in late July while competing on the PBR Challenger Series certainly contributed to that, but the majority of league executives and coaches consider Kasel a top talent.

The Gamblers had a glaring need for left-handed riders to go along with Leme, and Gottsch pulled off two trades mid-season to acquire two stout lefties in Kasel and Ramon de Lima.

Now the Gamblers have a roster that should be able to compete with No. 1 Carolina (14-8) in the postseason and the other top contenders.

Austin is three games behind the first-place Carolina Cowboys (14-8) in the PBR Team Series standings with six games left in the regular season. The Gamblers trail No. 2 Oklahoma Freedom (13-9) by two games. The top two teams at the end of the regular season receive a first-round bye for the PBR Team Series Championship.

Leme and Kasel will join forces with Ezekiel Mitchell, Ramon de Lima, Austin Richardson, Lucas Divino and Dakota Louis on Friday night as the Gamblers square off against Nashville (5-16-1) at Rattler Days (8:45 p.m. ET RidePass on Pluto TV).

Head coach Michael Gaffney has slotted Kasel into the meat of his lineup (No. 3) for a matchup against Bobkat (7-5 all levels).

This trade has the potential to impact the league in a similar fashion to Carolina’s deal at the 2022 PBR Team Series Draft, presented by ZipRecruiter, to acquire 2022 World Champion Daylon Swearingen and Mason Taylor from Texas.

KANSAS CITY LOOKING AHEAD AT THE FUTURE

The Outlaws and Kasel never came to terms on a multi-year marketing deal, and General Manager Jim Smith and company risked losing Kasel in the offseason for nothing if he were to have elected to test free agency.

Therefore, Kansas City appears to be turning an eye for the future and acquired an important first-round draft pick in 2024.

Why is that draft pick so valuable?

Well, that is because that is when the two-time National High School Finals Bull Riding champion John Crimber will be eligible for the PBR Team Series draft, as well as a handful of other talented youngsters. If you are going to lose a talent such as Kasel, it is best to give yourself better odds at possibly snagging another star in the future, and Crimber, who is now a junior in high school, is certainly a great one to target. Crimber is the son of Arizona technical coach Paulo Crimber.

Most teams in the league have been skeptical about trading away a 2024 first-round pick because they want a chance to draft Crimber. That is, of course, if Crimber intends to declare for the draft that year.

Not only does Kansas City get a future first-round pick in the Kasel deal, but they also get a second-round draft choice for 2025, significant cash considerations and Marcilio. Kansas City did the right thing moving Kasel vs. potentially losing him in free agency.

The Outlaws are one of the youngest teams in the league, and they didn’t appear ready to push the top teams for a championship this year. That especially became clearer when Kyler Oliver broke his left collarbone on Monday afternoon during a practice session at coach J.W. Hart’s ranch. Oliver was placed on Injured Reserve by the Outlaws and is now out for the remainder of the regular season. Oliver will need to meet with Dr. Tandy Freeman this weekend to determine if he could possibly be available for the PBR Team Series Championship next month.

Oliver is also key to the Kasel trade for another reason.

The 23-year-old is signed to a multi-year deal with the Outlaws, and he will now potentially be the new face of the team heading into the future. Oliver slipped to the second round of the 2022 PBR Team Series Draft in May because of a broken neck, and Kansas City was able to snag a rider with first-round talent.

In the short term, the trade obviously hurts, and the team will hope Marcilio, as well as free agent signings Leonardo Lima and Dustin Martinez, can help the Outlaws be a tough competitor in the postseason next month, but the future could still be very bright if Kansas City continues to develop its young talent. All eight teams in the league qualify for the PBR Team Series Championship.

Marcilio was used in very limited fashion by the Gamblers, going 0-for-4 in four games. However, the 34-year-old is coming off a 2-for-2 victory at the PBR Challenger Series Autolite Fram Invitational in Fairfax, Virginia.

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media

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