I think Briere has shown he's both patient and opportunistic, that is, he won't be rushed into a deal that he doesn't think provides value, but he's willing to pull the trigger on the right deal.
Top 6 centers 25 and under rarely become available, and to add an over 30 center on a shorter deal runs against the availability of players who are upgrades over what they already have on the team.
But one advantage of committing to a rebuild is you can wait for the right deal to come along instead of forcing a move out of need.