Well offensively Kemp does have something left. And for the first 4-5 months as a Brave, he certainly did show to be a useful player. His injuries ultimately lead to his downfall this year, but given his history, that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.
Regardless, he wasn't acquired because we wanted him. He was acquired because we wanted to get rid of HO while also attempting to save face in front of the media and fans. In other words, completely releasing HO was not an option for them.
Neck was signed for name recognition and because he was actually a pretty good player. Despite your disdain, he's been a solid player and being paid at the rate of most solid players. He's far from the top of the Braves troubles.
I'm failing to recall what Coppy actually said about Swanson, so I won't touch that for now.