PUEBLO, Colo. – Dalton Kasel had just gotten done bucking some bulls on Wednesday night when he learned around 5 p.m. that his time as a member of the Kansas City Outlaws was possibly coming to an end.
Kasel and his agent Jason Davidson were unable to come to terms with Kansas City on a multi-year marketing deal earlier in the week, and that led to both sides wondering about the possibility of Kasel being traded before the PBR Team Series Trade Deadline so the team could recover some assets vs. losing him in the offseason via free agency for nothing.
It was not an easy conversation, or decision for rider or team, Kasel admitted Thursday afternoon in an exclusive interview with PBR.com.
Kasel explained that he has the utmost respect for coach J.W. Hart, Kansas City General Manager Jim Smith, and the Outlaws organization.
“I didn’t demand a trade, and I wasn’t opposed to signing with them, but we couldn’t come to terms,” Kasel said. “I understood, of course. I absolutely love J.W. and the team, but I wanted to do what is best for my family. I respect Kansas City and understand if they felt the need to trade me. If they wanted me to stay for the rest of the season, before free agency, I was going to give them 110% for the rest of the year and try to win each and every matchup I had, and every game for them, before becoming a free agent. I was not going to try to hose them in any way.
“A trade, though, may have been best for both sides.”
Kasel was unsure on Wednesday night if the Outlaws could find a trade partner and get a deal done within 24 hours. He had quietly been pondering his future all week knowing the PBR Trade Deadline was approaching on Thursday night after he turned down a respectable offer from the Outlaws.
However, the 2019 PBR Rookie of the Year quickly became a hot commodity on the otherwise cold trade market as word began to trickle out across the league that Kasel, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 PBR Team Series Draft, had yet to be signed long-term by Kansas City and he could possibly be available for the right price.
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.
Austin Gamblers General Manager JJ Gottsch was hard at work all week looking to improve his roster, and he immediately jumped at the opportunity to attempt to acquire Kasel.
The Gamblers have been in a tailspin recently, losing eight of their past 10 games and dropping to .500 (11-11). Austin had already struck out on signing Sandro Batista earlier in the week, and they were still looking to find a wingman for two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme.
Kasel was an obvious perfect fit.
The first obstacle, though, was offering enough to Kansas City that made the Outlaws OK with a trade, while the next challenge would be to ensure Kasel was willing to sign a multi-year deal with Austin. Gottsch was not going to give up significant future draft collateral without getting Kasel locked into a multi-year agreement.
Following some back-and-forth negotiations, all parties involved approved of a deal by midafternoon on Thursday.
Kansas City agreed to send Kasel to Austin in exchange for a 2024 first-round draft pick, 2025 second-round draft pick, 2017 Velocity Tour champion Alex Marcilio and cash considerations.
Kasel, meanwhile, agreed to sign a multi-year endorsement agreement with Austin.
“This is all pretty new, but I am excited for the opportunity,” Kasel said. “I am excited about who I have on my team and to be an Austin Gambler. There is always that possibility we can win a championship. I never look at anything that may go wrong and try to stay positive.
“I didn’t care who I was traded to. I said I could be traded (as a rental) and that is fine. I don’t have to sign nothing, and I could just go where I want next year. But once Austin threw out their offer, it was too good to resist.”
In a corresponding roster move, the Gamblers released Claudio Montanha Jr. from its protected roster to make room for Kasel.
“This is another big day in the history of the Austin Gamblers,” said Gottsch in the team's official announcement of the trade on Friday morning. “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.”
Smith and Kansas City wished Kasel nothing but the best going forward.
“We wish Dalton continued success in his bull riding career,” Smith said in a team release Friday morning. “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.”
Hart added, “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. We’re excited for what lies ahead both in 2022 and beyond.”
Kasel struggled in Kansas City and was only 6-for-17 (35.29%). A broken jaw in late July while competing on the PBR Challenger Series certainly contributed to that.
The new Austin scenery and marketing deal could be a recipe to turn around Kasel’s season, and in the process help Austin climb back into the list of Team Series Championship favorites.
Head coach Michael Gaffney told PBR.com on Thursday afternoon he was doing a jig every now and then in hopes the deal would come to fruition.
Gaffney chatted with Kasel over the phone and told him he supported whatever Kasel felt was best for his family and that he would be honored to have him join the Gamblers. The 1997 PBR World Champion turned coach views Kasel as a key leader of the team alongside Leme.
“I’ve been a tad uneasy until all is signed, sealed and delivered,” Gaffney said. “I love that he ‘loves it.’ As a bull rider first, this makes my day for him, his young family and this is good for all bull riders.”
Kasel will join forces with Leme, Ezekiel Mitchell, Ramon de Lima, Austin Richardson, Lucas Divino and Dakota Louis as the Gamblers look to get on a roll before the PBR Team Series Championship on Nov. 4-6 in Las Vegas.
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.
The Gamblers square off against Nashville (5-16-1) Friday night at Rattler Days (8:45 p.m. ET RidePass on Pluto TV) in Fort Worth, Texas.
Leme, Austin’s team captain, was all smiles on Thursday night once he learned the deal was official.
Leme is leading the PBR Team Series MVP race and is 14-for-19, while the rest of the Gamblers are 25-for-98.
“I think this can be great for us,” Leme told PBR.com via text. “Dalton is very talented, young. And I’m sure he can be way better than he already is, even if he’s already an awesome bull rider. He’s a first-round pick for any team, and now we have him in our group. That’s going to give us a lot of power for the next games.”
Kasel is pumped to now be teammates with Leme.
The Muleshoe, Texas, native admitted to PBR.com Thursday he spent the first four years of his career trying to beat Leme and has used the Brazilian sensation as an inspiration to push himself to be better.
Now the two are joining forces in a major way.
“I have always been better when I try to almost one-up Jose, and now we are on the same team,” Kasel said. “We can now push each other. We could become a major force. This is going to push me to a different level in my riding, and I think he also now has somebody else he can have right there next to him pushing him to be better.
“This is going to correlate to where we can become an unstoppable force. That is what we are hoping for.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
