Matt,
This might explain it, imagine a slide hammer where the sliding weight is the spindle rotor, now imagine the package being dropped on it's end, it's possible the rotor has moved through the bearings and is now catching on the frame. Can you see evidence of shaft having moved ?. During reassembly of motors it's often found that a tap at one or both ends of the rotor shaft with a hide hammer seems to free things up nicely and removes any tight spots.