PUEBLO, Colo. – With just two regular season PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Team Series events remaining before the November Championship, a landmark trade was today announced between the Austin Gamblers (No. 4; 11-11) and Kansas City Outlaws (No. 7; 9-13). Via the trade, the Gamblers acquired the Outlaws’ first-round draft pick Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) in exchange for 2017 PBR Velocity Tour Champion Alex Marcilio (Macaubal, Brazil), two draft picks and cash considerations.
Kasel will join the Gamblers protected roster, while also signing a multi-year endorsement deal. As a result of the trade, Claudio Montanha Jr. (Pacaembu, Brazil) was released by the Gamblers and becomes an unrestricted free agent.
In addition to adding Marcilio to their roster, the Kansas City Outlaws received the Gamblers’ first-round draft pick in 2024, second-round pick in 2025 and cash consideration.
The Outlaws also added to their roster via free agency, inking Leonardo Lima (Vale do Paraiso, Brazil) to the contingent’s protected roster and Dustin Martinez (Canjilon, New Mexico) to the practice squad.
“This is another big day in the history of the Austin Gamblers,” said Gamblers CEO J.J. Gottsch. “We built a good foundation with our initial roster, but we felt we needed one more piece going into this final run. The addition of Dalton gives us a chance to compete for a championship this year and for years to come.”
"This was an important week for the Outlaws. We are excited to add Leonardo and Alex to the team as we make our final push to Las Vegas for the Team Series Championship, and we wish Dalton continued success in his bull riding career,” said Kansas City Outlaws’ General Manager Jim Smith. “Through the trade with Austin, we are also well positioned for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 PBR team seasons. We remain excited about our young talent and look forward to getting healthy for the Championship in Las Vegas.”
Kasel burst onto the PBR scene in June 2019, mounting an impressive summer campaign on the developmental Touring Pro Division to earn his spot on the premier series for its second-half schedule.
Compliments of six Top 10 finishes, including a runner-up result at his career-first Major in Nashville and a win at the final regular-season Unleash The Beast event of the year in Nampa, Idaho, Kasel surged from unranked to No. 7 in the world in just five months’ time to punch his ticket to the PBR World Finals.
He finished 12th at the marathon event, concluding his first season No. 8 in the world, and was crowned the 2019 PBR Rookie of the Year.
Despite an injury-riddled 2020 campaign, Kasel made the few events he competed at count, concluding his sophomore season at the World Finals, appearing as an alternate.
Kasel returned with a vengeance in 2021. After undergoing elbow surgery to begin the season, Kasel returned to action in mid-June, quickly regaining his championship-contending form. On July 2, he won the Touring Pro Division event in Paris, Tennessee, and at the third Unleash The Beast event of the second half, Kasel was victorious in Sacramento, California.
Remaining red hot, and qualifying for his third PBR World Finals, Kasel delivered a historic effort in early October in San Antonio, Texas, en route to his second elite tour win of 2021. Teaming up with Woopaa (Barker Bulls/Hookin’ W Ranch), Kasel recorded what is now the third-highest score in PBR history, marked a monstrous 96.75 points.
Kasel concluded the year with a 34th-place result in Las Vegas for the 2021 PBR World Finals, ranked No. 14 in the world.
The charismatic Texan was once again a steadfast contender in 2022, concluding the most recent individual season with his second world Top 10 ranking, finishing the year a career-best No. 6 in the world.
In 2022, he registered six Top 10 finishes on the premier series, winning a record three consecutive 15/15 Bucking Battles, all via scores in excess of 91 points, and qualified for the PBR World Finals for the fourth time.
At the 2022 PBR World Finals, Kasel finished a career-best eighth, going 3-for-8, with all three of his scores 90-point rides.
In the inaugural PBR Team Series season, prior to joining the Gamblers, Kasel rode in 16 games for the Kansas City Outlaws, tapped twice to represent the team in the Bonus Round. He went 6-for-17, amassing 507.5 aggregate points and is currently inside the Top 25 in the MVP Race.
Kasel notably delivered the Outlaws’ first, and only, 90-point ride, covering Apper’s Mind Freak (Jo-Z Bucking Bulls/K-C Bucking Bulls/Spark-Lin Acres) for 90.75 points during the most recent Team Series event in Ridgedale, Missouri, when Kansas City played the Arizona Ridge Riders.
Kasel joins the talent-packed Austin Gamblers’ protected roster, which also includes two-time PBR World Champion and No. 1 overall draft pick Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil), Austin Richardson (Dallas, Texas), Lucas Divino (Nova Crixas, Brazil), Ramon de Lima (Rio Branco, Brazil), Ezekiel Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas) and Dakota Louis (Browning, Montana).
“Acquiring a top five rider at this point in the season is hard to fathom,” said Gamblers Head Coach Michael Gaffney. “Dalton gives us a chance to get another qualified ride every time he gets on a bull. He’ll make an immediate impact for the Gamblers.”
The four-time PBR World Finals qualifier will don the Gamblers jersey for the first time at PBR Rattler Days in Fort Worth, Texas, Oct. 7-9, on the spurs of the team finishing fifth at PBR Thunder Days in Missouri. At PBR Thunder Days, the squad went 1-2 in game play and won the Bonus Round.
The Gamblers are currently No. 4 in the PBR Team Series standings, having gone 11-11 overall, while garnering a cumulative 49.5 bonus points.
Throughout his PBR career, which has spanned nearly a decade, Marcilio has won 10 events across all levels of competition in both the United States and Brazil, including the recent PBR Challenger Series event in Fairfax, Virginia, where he went a perfect 2-for-2.
Marcilio was a standout on the PBR Brazil circuit from his debut in 2013 until relocating to the United States in 2017. During his time on home soil, Marcilio registered nine 90-point rides, including three in excess of 93 points.
During Marcilio’s tenure with the Gamblers, he competed in four games, going 0-for-4.
Lima made his PBR debut in 2018, and has since registered an event win, along with an accompanying 26 Top 10 finishes across all levels of competition. The 28-year-old Brazilian has had a strong showing on the Challenger Series which, accompanies the PBR Team Series, having ridden to four Top 5 finishes since the series began in late May.
While with the Cowboys, Lima appeared in 11 games for Carolina, going 1-for-10.
After making his PBR debut in 2015, Martinez made waves in 2022 when he finished a career-best No. 71 in the world. His campaign included four Top 10 finishes on the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, including a ninth-place result at the series’ Finals.
In his initial stint with the Outlaws, Martinez competed in one game, while also being tapped once to ride for the team in the Bonus Round.
“The Outlaws had the chance to make a deal with Austin that allowed us to better position ourselves for the future and carry on as we chase Kansas City’s next national championship,” said Kansas City Outlaws Head Coach J.W. Hart. “We’re excited for what lies ahead both in 2022 and beyond.”
During this weekend’s PBR Rattler Days, the Kansas City Outlaws will play the league No. 1 Carolina Cowboys on Friday, Oct. 7, the Nashville Stampede on Saturday, October 8 and the rival Missouri Thunder in the battle for the Show Me State on Sunday, Oct. 9.
The Outlaws are currently No. 7 in the PBR Team Series standings, having gone 9-13 overall, while garnering a cumulative 26.5 bonus points.
The 2022 PBR Team Series continues Oct. 7-9 for PBR Rattler Days in Fort Worth, Texas at Dickies Arena.
CBS Television Network will broadcast the PBR Team Series Game of the Week on Sunday, October 9 at 3 p.m. ET, check your local listings. The telecast will feature the game between the host Texas Rattlers and league No. 1 Carolina Cowboys.
Later that afternoon, at 6 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network will bring viewers all the action from Championship Sunday. In addition to the Bonus Round, the coverage will include the following games: Kansas City Outlaws vs. Missouri Thunder; Carolina Cowboys vs. Oklahoma Freedom; Nashville Stampede vs. Arizona Ridge Riders; Austin Gamblers vs. Texas Rattlers.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will exclusively broadcast LIVE the remainder of the games for the PBR Team Series event in Fort Worth, Texas, beginning at 8:45 p.m. ET on Friday, October 7 and 7:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 8. PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer replays of all the PBR Team Series action. Check https://pluto.tv/en/live-tv/pbr-ridepass for the latest programming schedule.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
