76ers made to pay Pelicans $3 million over Jrue Holiday leg injury

The NBA forced the Philadelphia 76ers to pay the New Orleans Pelicans $3 million last season for failing to disclose a leg injury to Jrue Holiday that has limited his playing time for two years, The Philadelphia Inquirer has reported.

Philadelphia traded Holiday to New Orleans on the night of the 2013 NBA draft for the rights to No. 6 overall pick Nerlens Noel.

The Inquirer, citing two unnamed sources, reported Holiday had played with stress fractures in his lower right leg the season before the trade.

76ers general manager Sam Hinkie declined to comment to the Inquirer, though a team source disputed the information, the report said.

The leg injury has hampered Holiday over the the past two seasons, in which he has been limited to 74 games.

The 6-foot-4 point guard appeared in 40 regular-season games this season, averaging 14.8 points, 6.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds.

After returning in April from a three-month absence, Holiday played in three of four first-round playoff games against Golden State.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.