While the Warriors were reportedly pessimistic about their chances of landing LeBron James in free agency, that doesn’t make it any less disappointing for the team that he decided to sign with Philadelphia, per Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.

To be clear, Poole states that James wouldn’t have made the Warriors a viable contender on his own, which seems to have been a significant factor in his decision. But LeBron’s addition would have represented the team’s “best chance to build a roster the rest of the NBA would fully respect,” Poole writes.

As Poole notes, the Warriors have pursued several big-name targets over the past several offseasons but have largely struck out in those efforts. Now that James is headed elsewhere, Golden State will have to pivot to fallback options.

Multiple league sources tell NBC Sports Bay Area that the Warriors were considering trade possibilities this summer whether or not they were able to acquire James. That’s still a “viable option,” Poole reports.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

• Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area argues Golden State was the biggest loser of the LeBron sweepstakes since the Warriors needed him to claw their way back to respectability following an injury-plagued season in which they won just 37 games and missed the playoffs for the fourth time in seven years. Largely running back the same aging group — outside of drafting Yaxel Lendeborg No. 11 overall — has to be considered a disappointing offseason, with no clear path moving forward, Johnson adds.
• Star forward Jimmy Butler is making progress in his recovery from a torn ACL, Anthony Slater of ESPN said on NBA Today on Wednesday (YouTube link). “I’ve talked to people that have been around Jimmy Butler recently,” Slater said (hat tip to Kevin Topley of NBC Sports Bay Area). “They say he’s a little over five months from the ACL surgery. He’s turned the corner a little bit in the last few weeks. He still can’t run unrestricted — sprint in a full line — but they feel like he’s making progress.”
• In that same TV spot on Wednesday, Slater suggested Draymond Green was likely to re-sign with the Warriors on a one-year, $27.7MM deal if the team missed out on signing James. That contract would be identical to the player option Green declined and would give Golden State more future flexibility, Slater noted.
• In another NBA Today episode on Thursday (Twitter video link), Slater said he talked to Summer League MVP Lendeborg and the former Michigan forward told ESPN that head coach Steve Kerr said he has a chance to start as a rookie. Slater thinks that outcome seems likely, given the dearth of (healthy) wings on the roster.