Worn tires causing turning difficulty?

My car was recently in the body shop after being side-swiped on the left side. The fender and door were replaced, along with the front left wheel because it was slightly warped. I had known for a while that the front end was out of alignment but hadn't had it re-aligned as it was not very noticeable. So...when they replaced the wheel, they went ahead and aligned the front end as well. The tires on the car are about 3/4 through their life and are fairly worn. Now, the car is properly aligned and is mysteriously harder to turn to the left than the right. I'd never had this problem before. Is it possible that the tires had worn unevenly due to the misalignment and now that it is aligned the uneven wear is causing this turning difficulty? It makes sense in my head but I'm just not sure if that is something that could actually happen. Help please??