Steve Kerr Gives Honest Take on LeBron Pursuit by Warriors After James Signs 76ers Contract

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr apparently wasn't surprised to see LeBron James end up somewhere other than the Bay Area this offseason.

"I didn't even think we were realistically in the running for LeBron," Kerr told ESPN. "It's just that everyone kept saying we were.

"It never seemed serious to me despite all the reports."

ESPN's Shams Charania named the Warriors as one of five finalists to sign James before he joined the Philadelphia 76ers last week on a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option.

The Warriors stuck around as a rumored landing spot for James in part because of his relationships with Curry, Green and Kerr and also because the franchise seemingly stood pat this offseason despite missing out on the playoffs last spring.

Outside of re-signing Kerr and drafting forward Yaxel Lendeborg, the Warriors had yet to make any major moves by the time James signed with the Sixers.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported after that signing a source close to James said the Warriors were "appealing for a time... but only if they acquired a proven star forward like the Washington Wizards forward Anthony Davis."

Charania (h/t ESPN's Anthony Slater) previously reported the Warriors were planning to pursue Davis, but HoopsHype's Michael Scotto later reported the Wizards had no interest in moving him.

Draymond Green initially declined his player option, a choice Charania reported was made "to give the Warriors flexibility to pursue" James, but re-signed for the same amount after James joined the Sixers.

That leaves Green and Curry set to run things back with a lineup missing Jimmy Butler amid his ongoing recovery from ACL surgery. Moses Moody could also be sidelined after undergoing knee surgery in March.

The Warriors are now set to wait for the return of Butler and Moody while relying on the availability of Al Horford, who turned 40 in June, and Kristaps Porziņģis, who has struggled with health issues for the last two seasons.

Having missed out on adding the NBA's all-time leading scorer, the Warriors are left with major questions regarding whether this roster will be able to improve on last spring's play-in loss.