North Melbourne coach Dean Laidley had surprisingly raised McIntosh's name as trade bait on Monday, but the club said on Wednesday that he was now off limits.
A statement released by the club said there had been no appropriate offers for McIntosh in the first three days of trade week.
"In keeping with the North Melbourne Football Club's strategy and the considerable value it places on Hamish, at no stage would the club have entertained anything other than an exceptional and outstanding offer (e.g., a low first round pick) for Hamish," the statement said.
It said the club had floated McIntosh's name with a view to gaining a first-round draft pick.
"Irrespective of uninformed media speculation, the North Melbourne Football Club makes no apologies for taking the bold decision to explore all options with the stated aim of improving our playing list," the statement said.
"This decision was consistent with a long-term list strategy developed in response to the challenges presented to all existing clubs by the entry of the two new AFL franchises."
McIntosh's manager Tom Petroro had blasted North Melbourne on Monday for floating his name just months after he signed a three-year deal.
On Wednesday, Petroro said the 24-year-old was never likely to look for another club.
"From my discussions with Hamish, never once did he entertain leaving the Kangaroos, he loves Arden Street and is fully committed to assisting the club throughout the rest of his career to achieve premiership success," he said.
