The Minnesota Timberwolves had been angling at acquiring Nicolas Batum, a restricted free agent, from the Portland Trail Blazers. Unfortunately that won't be happening, however, as the Blazers have apparently deemed Batum to be too important to their team.

The Timberwolves reportedly offered Batum $11 million per season and, while that sounds like a lot, no amount will be enough to lure Batum to the Twin Cities. Not necessarily because he's not interested, but rather because the Blazers have decided they'll do whatever it takes to keep him.

Blazers just complete meeting w/Batum and agent in downtown Portland and say they will match any offer and will not engage in sign-and-trade.

— Jason Quick (@jwquick) July 5, 2012

With those options off the table, Batum will now have the option of either playing out the final year of his rookie deal -- worth just over $4 million, according to ShamSports' salary database -- or signing a long-term deal with the Blazers. The latter option happens more often than the former and, if the Wolves decide to submit their offer anyway when the moratorium on free agents ends July 11, they'll have to match whatever long-term deal Minnesota puts down on paper.

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