Instead GWS officials are likely to narrow their search to the AFL's younger stars as they hunt for uncontracted players.
Giants chief executive Dale Holmes said the AFL's 18th club, which will enter the competition in 2012, hoped to "reach a window of opportunity" within five years.
That could mean GWS considers the likes of Swan, who by that stage will be the wrong side of 30, past his best.
"We need the right mix of leadership, but we also need the player group that we bring to our club to be at the peak of their playing career by 2015-2016," Holmes told afl.com.au.
"So we look at the age profile and think about the players that we bring in who perhaps will lead us up to that stage but then who will take over and be at the prime of their career at that stage.
"So it's very much about the cycle of when we want players to be peaking."
Swan, fresh from playing in a premiership with the Pies and winning a third straight best and fairest, is considered among the Giants' prime targets. The 26-year-old comes out of contract at the end of 2011.
Swan's Collingwood teammate Scott Pendlebury, Carlton's Marc Murphy and Geelong's Joel Selwood are others who have all been linked to the Giants and are all likely to be entering their best years when GWS hopes to be making its charge.
The Giants had until December 7 to speak and try to sign uncontracted players but can continue signing them for another year - 12 months longer than Gold Coast.
While the Giants would no doubt jump at the chance to sign a player of Swan's calibre, Holmes hinted the club would look at up-and-comers as it scoured each list.
Gold Coast acquired the likes of uncontracted stars Jarrod Harbrow, Nathan Bock, Campbell Brown and the biggest name of all, Gary Ablett.
Holmes is confident his club, given it has two years to try to attract stars from across the country, will be able to match that haul both for number and quality.
Collingwood is likely to be the subject of contract speculation in 2011 with Swan, Pendlebury and Dale Thomas all up for new deals at the end of next season.
However Holmes would not be drawn on whether GWS would target the reigning premier's list in the knowledge some big names will soon be out of contract.
"We'll be driven by our strategy of what sort of players we want more than the fact there might be more players available from one club," he said.
"Obviously we can take one uncontracted player from each, but it's really driven by our list construction strategy.
"First it's 'who are the players that we go after?' more than the fact that one club have more than one player that is uncontracted."
