That's the thing. Gleeson let the cat out of the bag in that ESPN article - they didn't know NBA-NBL was on.
He didn't, but he doesn't run the club.
Then Wildcats release a press release saying they declined an invite.
It didn't say they declined an invite, it says it was 'informally raised'.
So Kestleman mentions it to Marvin a few months ago, Marvin doesn't think the timing will work, says they're not interested. No further discussions are had with the 'Cats. It never reaches Gleeson.
Or, it reaches Gleeson in such a hypothetical capacity that it seemed like news to him when it was announced.
Or everyone is lying. In which case so what? The overwhelming social media response was 'why no Perth?', which distracted from what was supposed to be a big announcement, and the league and the club have taken steps to squash that reaction. Who cares?