Did I just piss away 3 hours of my night?

So I got hit awhile ago, front wheel got trashed and got a new wheelset out of the ordeal. So tonight I was bored and was trying to be all mechanical and use my rear rim and spokes to lace to my front hub. I haven't fully trued up and tightened the wheel because I don't have a spoke wrench or a stand but, I checked the hub flange width and discovered the rear was narrower than the front, did I waste my time? I didn't want to use the front spokes because they are bent, but can they be reused if I'm trying to be as thrifty as possible? Both front and rear wheels were 3x.

I guess I did learn how to 3x lace though...