Lonzo Ball should do everything in his power to orchestrate a return to the Lakers

After missing two-and-a-half seasons due to a persistent knee injury, Lonzo Ball is starting to show flashes of his former self. The playmaking wizard has suited up 24 times for the Chicago Bulls this season, averaging 6.5 points, 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 20.5 minutes of playing time.

Those numbers have jumped slightly over his last six games, with Ball averaging 39.2% from three-point range on 7.7 attempts per night. As he continues to work the rust off, it's fair to expect his production to continue trending northward. 

Ball is in the final year of his four-year, $80M deal with the Bulls. He will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. 

According to The Athletic's Jovan Buha, who was speaking on a recent episode of Jason Timpf's "Hoops Tonight" podcast, the Lakers could potentially look to reunite with their former draft pick. Rob Pelinka could even look to bring him back to Los Angeles ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

"I think Lonzo is someone that's going to be on their radar, and I think, depending on the price, if you could get him for a second or two seconds," Buha said. "I think that's an interesting swing, and also someone with that 6-foot-6 frame that could potentially, I think, be similar to Bruce Brown. (He could) check a couple of boxes ... He's bulked up a little bit throughout his career, so he can guard twos and even some smaller threes and potentially be part of a one-through-three switching scheme. And then offensively, I think especially coming off the bench as a secondary ball-handler, playmaker and also a spot-up shooter, I think he's someone who's an interesting gamble for them."